Question

Why is the specific heat capacity of the human body close to, but somewhat less than, that of water?

Answer 1

Water has a specific heat capacity close to, but somewhat less than, that of the human body. The high specific heat capacity of water is due to the hydrogen bonding between water molecules.

Step-by-step explanation:

Water has a specific heat capacity that is close to, but somewhat less than, that of the human body. The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of that substance by one degree Celsius. Water's specific heat capacity is about 4,184 J/kg/°C, while the specific heat capacity of the human body is approximately 3,500 J/kg/°C.

The high specific heat capacity of water is due to the hydrogen bonding between water molecules. These hydrogen bonds require a significant amount of energy to break, resulting in water's ability to absorb and retain heat. This property is beneficial for warm-blooded animals, like humans, as it helps regulate body temperature and prevents rapid temperature changes.

Answer 2

Because most of the human body (about 70% of it) consists of water

Step-by-step explanation:

The main reason why the specific heat capacity of the human body is very close to that of water is that water makes approximately 70% of the substances of which the human body consists. However, the human body has a slightly smaller specific heat capacity than water, because it contains also other elements/substances, and since water is one of the substances with the higher specific heat capacity at all, the specific heat capacity of the body is a bit smaller.