In the context of heat capacity, what is assumed on the MCAT regarding its value?

Heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a substance by a certain amount. It is an intrinsic property of materials, indicative of how much heat a material can store.

In standard conditions for the MCAT, heat capacity is assumed to remain positive. This means that when energy is added to a system, the temperature will increase, which is generally consistent with our observations of materials under normal conditions. If heat capacity were to be negative, it would imply an inverse relationship where adding heat decreases the temperature, which is not physically meaningful under conventional scenarios.

Therefore, the assumption that heat capacity remains positive provides a coherent framework for analyzing thermal processes in chemistry, aligning with the observed behaviors of substances when they are heated or cooled. This understanding is crucial for solving problems relating to thermal energy and can significantly aid in tackling questions related to thermodynamics on the MCAT.