 These turn out to be three degrees of the molecule's velocity vector, plus two degrees from its rotation about an axis through the center of mass and perpendicular to the line of the two atoms.Because of those two extra degrees of freedom, the specific heat formula_2 of (736 J/K/kg) is greater than that of an hypothetical monoatomic gas with the same molecular mass 28 (445 J/K/kg), by a factor of 5/3.This value for the specific heat of nitrogen is practically constant from below −150 °C to about 300 °C.