Specific heat of a substance can be

Options

A. finite
B. infinite
C. zero
D. negative

Explanation

To determine the possible values of specific heat for a substance, let's analyze the concept step by step.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Specific Heat**:
- Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin).

2. **Mathematical Representation**:
- The specific heat (c) can be mathematically expressed as:
\[ c = \frac{Q}{m \Delta T} \]
where \( Q \) is the heat added, \( m \) is the mass of the substance, and \( \Delta T \) is the change in temperature.

3. **Analyzing Mass**:
- The mass \( m \) of any substance is always a positive finite value. It cannot be zero (as there would be no substance to heat), negative (as mass cannot be negative), or infinite (as this is not physically meaningful).

4. **Implications for Specific Heat**:
- Since the specific heat is derived from the heat added and the mass, and since the mass is always a positive finite value, the specific heat must also be finite.
- Therefore, specific heat cannot be zero (as that would imply no heat is required to change the temperature) or negative (which is not physically possible in this context).

5. **Conclusion**:
- The specific heat of a substance can only be a finite positive value. It cannot be infinite, zero, or negative.

### Final Answer:
The specific heat of a substance can be finite.