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Copy of Heat Capacity and Specific Heat (5/28/2026)

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Last updated about 3 hours ago
5 questions
3

Heat Capacity and Specific Heat

Which pool will warm up faster?


If a swimming pool and wading pool, both full of water at the same temperature were subjected to the same input of heat energy, the wading pool would certainly rise in temperature more quickly than the swimming pool. The heat capacity of an object depends both on its mass and its chemical composition. Because of its much larger mass, the swimming pool of water has a larger heat capacity than the bucket of water.
Question 1
1.
Heat capacity depends on two things - its _______ and its _______. Objects and substances with a _______ will have a high heat capacity.

Heat Capacity and Specific Heat

Different substances respond to heat in different ways. If a metal chair sits in the bright sun on a hot day, it may become quite hot to the touch. An equal mass of water in the same sun will not become nearly as hot. We would say that water has a high heat capacity (the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an object by 1°C.) Water is very resistant to changes in temperature, while metals in general are not. The specific heat of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1°C. Table below lists the specific heats of some common substances. The symbol for specific heat is cp, with the p subscript referring to the fact that specific heats are measured at constant pressure. The units for specific heat can either be joules per gram per degree (J/g°C) or calories per gram per degree (cal/g°C). This text will use J/g°C for specific heat.
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Notice that water has a very high specific heat compared to most other substances. Water is commonly used as a coolant for machinery because it is able to absorb large quantities of heat (see Table above). Coastal climates are much more moderate than inland climates because of the presence of the ocean. Water in lakes or oceans absorbs heat from the air on hot days and releases it back into the air on cool days.
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1

Summary

  • Heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an object by 1°C.
  • Specific heat is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1°C.
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Question 5
5.
Question 2
2.
Substances respond to _______ differently.

Water has a _______ heat capacity because it is _______ to changes in temperature.

_______ is the amount of energy that is needed to increase the temperature of 1 g of any substance by 1°C.
Question 3
3.
The specific heat of liquid water is _______ J/g°C.
The specific heat of solid iron is _______ J/g°C.

This means that _______ changes temperature easier (which of the above substances?).
Question 4
4.
Because water has a high specific heat, it is able to absorb more heat than many other substances. Therefore, it is often used as a _______ in many machines.
_______ is the amount of energy required to raise the _______ of 1 gram of an object by 1°C.

_______ is the amount of heat required to _______ the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1°C.