What is the amount of heat required to change 1 pound of a substance by 1°F called?

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a substance by 1°F per pound is defined as specific heat capacity. This term specifically refers to the physical property of a substance that indicates how much heat is needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of that substance by a certain temperature difference, which in this case is 1°F.

Specific heat capacity is a critical concept in HVAC and refrigeration as it helps in understanding how different materials respond to heat and how much energy is required for heating or cooling processes. By knowing the specific heat capacity, engineers and technicians can effectively calculate heating and cooling loads in various systems.

Heat capacity, while related, refers to the total heat required to change the temperature of a given mass of a substance without normalizing it to a unit mass. Thermal mass pertains to the ability of a material to absorb and store thermal energy, which is a broader concept that includes but is not limited to heat capacity. Heat value typically refers to the total amount of energy released when a substance is burned, which is not directly relevant to the measurement of temperature change per mass unit.