CK-12 Physical Science Concepts - For Middle School

5.13. Specific Heat http://www.ck12.org

MEDIA

Click image to the left for use the URL below.

URL: http://www.ck12.org/flx/render/embeddedobject/5033

TABLE5.2:Specific Heat

Substance Specific Heat (joules)

iron 0.45

sand 0.67

wood 1.76

water 4.18

Q:Metal cooking pots and pans often have wooden handles. Can you explain why?

A:Wood has a higher specific heat than metal, so it takes more energy to heat a wooden handle than a metal handle.
As a result, a wooden handle would heat up more slowly and be less likely to burn your hand when you touch it.

Summary

• Specific heat is a measure of how much energy it takes to raise the temperature of a substance. It is the amount
  of energy (in joules) needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 °C.


• Specific heat is a property that is specific to a given type of matter, and substances vary in their specific heat.
  Metals tend to have low specific heat. Water has very high specific heat.

Vocabulary

• specific heat: Amount of energy (in joules) needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of a substance by 1
  °C.

Explore More

Watch the animation at the following URL, and then answer the questions below. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/edu
cation/pd/oceans_weather_climate/media/specific_heat.swf

1. Describe the experiment in the animation.


2. Identify the independent and dependent variables. What variables are controlled in the experiment? (Hint:
   What other variables might affect the outcome of the experiment?)


3. Summarize the outcome of the experiment.


4. Relate the outcome of the experiment to specific heat.

Review

1. What is specific heat?


2. Water in a lake always warms up in the summer more slowly than the adjacent land. Use the concept of
   specific heat to explain why.