Question

Why does 50 g of copper require less heat (q) than 50 g of water, in order to raise the temperature by 15 oC? (Hint - the heat capacity may play a role, but how?)

Answer 1

See Explanation

Step-by-step explanation:

Specific heat capacity is an intensive physical property of matter. It is a measure of the quantity of heat that must be supplied in order to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by 1°C.

The specific heat capacity of a substance determines the quantity of heat that must be supplied in order to effect a temperature change of a unit mass of a substance. The higher the specific heat capacity of a substance, the greater the quantity of heat required to effect a temperature change in a given mass of the substance.

The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 Joules per kilogram while the specific heat capacity of copper is 385 Joules per kilogram. Hence, the heat capacity of water is far greater than that of copper and consequently, 50 g of copper require less heat (q) than 50 g of water, in order to raise the temperature by 15 oC.