What is defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree?

The term that defines the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree is known as specific heat. Specific heat is a fundamental property of materials and plays a crucial role in thermodynamics and heat transfer processes. It essentially indicates how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a certain mass of a substance, allowing one to predict how much heat is required when heating or cooling that material.

Specific heat is critical in applications ranging from heating systems to refrigeration, as it helps engineers and technicians understand how different materials will react to heat input, ensuring efficiency and safety in system design and operation.

The other terms mention different concepts in thermodynamics. Latent heat refers to the heat absorbed or released during a phase change (like melting or boiling), which does not correspond to a temperature change. Sensible heat is the heat that causes a temperature change in a substance and is recognizable as a change in temperature, but it is not defined per unit mass as specific heat is. Heat transfer denotes the process by which thermal energy moves from one object to another but does not define a specific quantity related to the properties of the materials involved.