Specific heat is used to calculate the amount of heat absorbed when energy is added to a material or substance through an increase in temperature over a defined range. Calculation of the amount of heat or energy added to a material is a relatively easy process as long as the initial and the final temperatures of the material are recorded, the mass of the material is reported and the specific heat is known. The specific heat, the mass of the material and the temperature scale must all be in the same units in order to accurately perform the calculation for heat.