GCAP Operator 1 Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Resource for Exam Success!

Specific heat is commonly measured in units like BTUs (British Thermal Units). A BTU is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. This unit is particularly relevant in fields involving thermal energy and heat transfer, making it a standard choice in engineering and thermodynamics contexts. It allows for the assessment of how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a substance, which is the essence of what specific heat quantifies.

The other units mentioned serve different purposes; for instance, joules are a unit of energy but are more commonly associated with specific energy rather than specific heat, and watts relate to power rather than specific heat directly. Celsius is a temperature scale and does not measure heat or energy directly. Thus, BTUs is the most applicable unit when discussing specific heat in practical scenarios.