What is the term for the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of an object?

The correct term for the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of an object is heat capacity. This concept refers to the total heat energy needed to change the temperature of an object by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). Heat capacity is an important property in thermodynamics as it reflects how much heat is stored or released by a substance as its temperature changes.

In understanding heat capacity, it is important to differentiate it from related terms like specific heat, which refers specifically to the heat capacity per unit mass of a substance. This means that while specific heat indicates how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a certain mass of a substance, heat capacity encompasses the entire amount of substance and reflects the total energy required.

Thermal conductivity is unrelated, as it measures the ability of a material to conduct heat rather than the energy required to change its temperature. Latent heat deals with the energy absorbed or released during phase changes (such as melting or boiling) without a change in temperature, which is a distinct concept from heat capacity.