Final answer:
The student's experiment demonstrates that land heats up faster and cools down faster than water, due to its lower specific heat capacity compared to water, which has a higher specific heat capacity.
Step-by-step explanation:
From the investigation conducted by the student, we can draw a conclusion about the specific heat capacity of land (soil) versus water. When the student observed that, after equal exposure to solar energy, the soil had a higher temperature than the water but cooled down faster once shaded, it indicated particular thermal properties of these materials. Specifically, land, or soil in this case, heats up faster due to its lower specific heat capacity but also loses heat more rapidly than water when removed from the heat source. Conversely, water has a higher specific heat capacity, meaning it takes longer to heat up and also longer to cool down. This characteristic of water allows it to moderate temperature in coastal areas and is why water is often used as a coolant in various applications.