Final answer:
Oil typically heats up quickly but not due to a high specific heat; it has a lower specific heat than water, allowing it to change temperature more rapidly. The larger mass of a frying pan increases its heat capacity, requiring more energy to change its temperature compared to a smaller pan with the same specific heat.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, oil does not have a high specific heat compared to water. Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat per unit mass required to raise the temperature by one degree Celsius. The reason that oil seems to heat up quickly is not because it has a high specific heat, but rather because it typically has a lower specific heat than water, allowing it to reach a higher temperature faster under the same heat conditions.
Using the concept of specific heat, we can understand that the larger heat capacity of a large frying pan compared to a small one is due to its larger mass, which requires more energy to raise its temperature. However, both pans being made of the same material will have the same specific heat. For example, it takes 18,150 J to raise the temperature of a small cast iron frying pan by 50.0 °C, giving it a specific heat capacity of 363 J/°C.