In the summer time, most people like spending time along the beach. At the beach, the cool water is much more inviting than the hot sand, even though the sun warmed them both up since the morning. Did you ask yourself why?
Different materials heat up in different rates. You may have heard the term "specific heat capacity", which is the amount of energy (heat) required to change the temperature of one mas unit of a substance by one degree celsius. Specific heat capacity, therefore, has units of energy per mass per degree. Each material has a different specific heat capacity. The specific heat of some materials is shown in the table below:
Specific Heat Table
Material
Specific Heat (j/kg 0C)
Air (nitrogen)
1.030
Aluminum
0.897
Sand
0.742
Diamond
0.510
water
4.186
Iron
0.449
Now that you know what specific heat capacity is, try answering the question below. You may find this video helpful.
Question:
In order to raise the temperature of the sand and water to the same level, where should one invest more energy?