Final answer:
The ocean remains cooler than the sand on a hot day due to water's high specific heat capacity, which allows it to absorb a lot of heat without a large increase in temperature. Option 3: Specific heat capacity is the correct answer to why the ocean is not as hot as the sand. option 3 is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason the ocean is not as hot as the sand on a summer day can be attributed to a property of water known as its specific heat capacity. This property indicates that water can absorb or release a significant amount of heat without experiencing a large change in temperature. Specifically, water has a higher specific heat than many other materials, meaning it takes more energy to raise the temperature of water by one degree Celsius compared to that of sand. This characteristic allows water to absorb heat during the day without getting as hot as the sand and to release heat slowly at night, which helps to cool the surrounding air.
The options provided highlight different properties of water, but not all are related to temperature changes. Option 3: Specific heat capacity is the correct reason why the ocean remains cooler compared to the sand on a hot day.
Surface tension and cohesion (Option 1 and 2) relate to the intermolecular forces within a fluid that allow for phenomena like insects walking on water or capillary action in plants. Adhesion (Option 4) describes the attraction between water molecules and different materials, which is not directly related to the temperature moderation of water.
To solidify understanding, one can imagine visiting a beach on a hot day and noticing the difference in comfort when stepping from the scorching hot sand into the relatively cooler water. This is a practical example of specific heat capacity in action, as the water absorbs the solar energy without a rapid increase in temperature, providing a refreshing respite on a sunny day.