Noun. 1. specific heat-the heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree centigrade. heat, heat energy-a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature. 1  Facebook.
You begin to depreciate your property when you place it in service for use in your trade or business or for the production of income. You stop depreciating property either when you have fully recovered your cost or other basis or when you retire it from service, whichever happens first.
1 When depreciating an asset, you must know the cost of the asset (how much you paid), the useful life of the asset (how long it is expected to be productive), the salvage value (how much it is worth at the end of its life) and the depreciation method (the rate at which the asset is depreciated over its useful life).