Which of the substances listed in the table on the first page would heat up more quickly if an equal amount of heat energy were applied to all of the substances at the same time?
Explain your answer.
Answer (2)
The substance that would heat up more quickly if an equal amount of heat energy were applied to all of the substances at the same time would be the one with the smallest specific heat. Specific heat is a measure of how much heat energy is needed to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain amount. A substance with a smaller specific heat will heat up faster because it requires less heat energy to increase its temperature.
For example, if we compare water and iron, we can see that water has a higher specific heat than iron. This means that it takes more heat energy to raise the temperature of water compared to iron by the same amount. Therefore, if an equal amount of heat energy is applied to water and iron, the iron will heat up more quickly.
So, in the table provided, the substance with the smallest specific heat would heat up more quickly when an equal amount of heat energy is applied.
The substance with the smallest specific heat capacity will heat up more quickly when an equal amount of heat energy is applied. This is because a lower specific heat means less energy is needed to raise the temperature. For example, metals like iron will heat up faster than water due to their lower specific heat capacities.
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