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Glite Dictionary
heat capacity ratio

heat capacity ratio

7.0
The number showing how much more heat a material needs at constant pressure than at constant volume
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : razón de capacidad térmica
  • The heat capacity ratio of air is approximately 1.4.

Examples

  • The heat capacity ratio for an ideal diatomic gas is typically 1.4.

  • Knowing the heat capacity ratio is essential for calculating the speed of sound in a gas.

  • Engineers use the heat capacity ratio when analyzing thermodynamic cycles.

  • What is the heat capacity ratio for water?

  • Engineers use the heat capacity ratio when analyzing thermodynamic cycles.

  • Knowing the heat capacity ratio is essential for calculating the speed of sound in a gas.

  • The heat capacity ratio for an ideal diatomic gas is typically 1.4.

Synonyms

adiabatic index
vsheat capacity ratio
  • Specialized
9.9

A number comparing how much heat a gas holds at fixed pressure and fixed volume

applies to that same comparison for any substance not only gases

Surface Forms

heat capacity ratio singular
heat capacity ratios plural

Morphology

heat + capacity + ratio

The phrase is compositionally built from 'heat' + 'capacity' + 'ratio', so a learner who knows the parts can infer it denotes a comparison involving heat-holding ability (i.e. a ratio relating heat capacities). However, the precise technical sense (the specific ratio Cp/Cv and the constant-pressure vs constant-volume distinction) is specialized and not predictable from the constituents alone, making it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Heat capacity ratio compares two kinds of heat capacity: one when the pressure stays the same (constant pressure) and one when the volume stays the same (constant volume). So, it tells 'how much one is of the other', which is why engineers and scientists use it to compare how a gas takes in heat under different conditions.