What Is the Equation "Q Equals Mc Delta T"?

Different substances have different specific heats since they require differing amounts of energy to change temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Q represents the heat added, c is the specific heat of the substance, m is the mass of the sample, and Δt (delta t) is the change in temperature. This equation does not work if the substance changes states at that temperature because then energy is gained or lost by the change of state. An example of a state change is water going from solid to liquid form.