Consider the following heats, copper: 0.384J/g degrees, glass:0.502J/g degrees, water: 4.18J/g degrees, and lead:0.159J/g. Which substance once warmed, would be more likely to maintain its heat and keep you warm through a long party on a cold night?
To determine which substance would be more likely to maintain its heat and keep you warm through a long party on a cold night, we need to consider the specific heat capacity of each substance. Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin).
Given the specific heat capacities of the substances provided:
- Copper: 0.384 J/g°C
- Glass: 0.502 J/g°C
- Water: 4.18 J/g°C
- Lead: 0.159 J/g°C
We can immediately see that water has the highest specific heat capacity (4.18 J/g°C). This means that water requires the most amount of heat energy to raise its temperature compared to the other substances.
When it comes to maintaining heat, a substance with a higher specific heat capacity is more effective because it can store more thermal energy. In this case, water would be the best substance to keep you warm through a long party on a cold night.
Water has the ability to absorb and retain a significant amount of heat energy compared to the other substances. This property makes it useful for applications like hot water bottles or heating systems. So, if you want to remain warm for a longer duration, water would be the most suitable substance of the given options.