If the temperature of the system increases, the increase in temperature depends on the mass of the substance heated, the type of material and the energy input to the system. • The following equation applies: change in thermal energy = mass × specific heat capacity × temperature change, ∆E = m c ∆θ • change in thermal energy, ∆E, in joules, J • mass, m, in kilograms, kg • specific heat capacity, c, in joules per kilogram per degree Celsius, J/kg °C • temperature change, ∆θ, in degrees Celsius, °C. • The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of the substance by one degree Celsius.