Chapter 21, Problem 13A

How does the specific heat capacity of water compare with that of other common substances?

To determine

To compare: The specific heat capacity of water with that of other common substances.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

The quantity of thermal energy present in any matter is called as heat. The quantity of heat absorbed by a substance before it changes its temperature is called specific heat capacity of that substance. By heating a substance, the kinetic energy of its molecules increases and they moves more rapidly. When the molecules of a substance move faster they will move more apart and thus temperature of substances increases.

The specific heat capacity of water is $4.184{\text{ J/g }}^{\text{0}}\text{C}$ . That means the energy required to heat water is large and also water takes a lengthy time to lose its heat. The specific heat capacity of water is relatively high compared to the specific heat capacity of other common substances.