Final answer:
If 1 kg of iron and 1 kg of silver absorb equal amounts of heat, the temperature of silver will increase more as it has a lower specific heat than iron. Specific heat determines the amount of heat needed to change a substance's temperature.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to the concept of specific heat, which is a property of materials that indicates the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a given mass by a certain degree. For substances with a high specific heat, more energy is needed to increase their temperature compared to substances with a low specific heat. In the case of iron and silver, given that they both absorb equal amounts of heat, the temperature of silver will increase by a greater amount because it has a lower specific heat than iron. The specific heat of a substance is crucial when it comes to determining how it will respond to thermal energy.
To calculate the specific heat in the example provided, you can use the formula q = mcΔT, where q is the heat absorbed, m is the mass, and ΔT is the change in temperature. This formula allows us to determine the specific heat of the metal based on measured heat absorption and temperature change, which can then be used to predict the metal's identity.