Specific heat is the amount of heat absorb or released by a substance to change the temperature to one degree Celsius. To determine the specific heat, we use the expression for the heat absorbed by the system. Heat gained or absorbed in a system can be calculated by multiplying the given mass to the specific heat capacity of the substance and the temperature difference. It is expressed as follows:
Heat = mC(T2-T1)
By substituting the given values, we can calculate for C which is the specific heat of the material.
2510 J = .158 kg ( 1000 g / 1 kg) (C) ( 61.0 - 32.0 °C) C = 0.5478 J / g °C