If equal masses are given the same amount of heat, the object with greater heat capacity will experience a smaller change in temperature.

• A. Greater temperature rise
• B. Smaller temperature rise
• C. Same temperature rise
• D. Cannot be determined

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how heat changes temperature through heat capacity. The amount of heat added is related to the temperature rise by Q = C ΔT, where C is the heat capacity. For equal masses, a larger heat capacity means a larger C, so the same amount of heat gives a smaller temperature change since ΔT = Q / C. Intuitively, heat capacity measures how much energy is needed to raise the temperature by one degree; the object that requires more energy per degree will warm less for the same fixed amount of heat. So the object with greater heat capacity indeed experiences a smaller change in temperature.