specific heat ratios

The specific heat ratio (also called the adiabatic index) is a number that compares how easily a gas's temperature rises when it absorbs heat, versus how much its pressure increases when compressed without heat exchange. For example, gases like air have a specific heat ratio around 1.4, meaning they heat up more when they expand or compress. This ratio influences how gases flow and behave in engines and weather systems. It’s a fundamental property that helps scientists and engineers predict gas behavior under different conditions, playing a key role in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics.