Question

How does specific heat of a heated object affect the temperature change when placed in water?

Answer 1

Specific heat is defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of the substance by one degree Celsius. It is denoted with a symbol $C$ . Heat capacity is defined as the quantity of heat required to change the temperature by one degree Celsius.

Complete step-by-step answer: The formula for specific heat is-
$C=\dfrac{\Delta Q}{m\Delta T}$
Where, $C$ is the specific heat
$\Delta Q$ change in heat
$\Delta T$ is change in temperature
$m$ is the mass
Specific heat is calculated in $Jk{{g}^{-1}}K$
When two materials with different temperatures are placed in contact with each other, then the heat will flow from warmer material to colder material until both the temperatures acquire the same temperature. This follows the law of conservation of energy in which heat gained by colder material is equal to heat lost by warmer material.
For example- when a hot copper penny is added into a bit of water, they both will be the same temperature. When a penny is dropped in water, it offloads energy to the water. If the temperature decreases to ${{20}^{{}^\circ }}C$, it drops to $30.40J$. On the other hand, the temperature of water rises to ${{80}^{{}^\circ }}C$ . Water takes so much energy to change its temperature.

Note: In this question, we have concluded that specific heat is the amount of energy a substance can absorb before one degree change in temperature. Water has a very high specific heat as it requires a lot of energy to raise its temperature. This is because it consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, oxygen atom has partial negative charge as it is an electronegative atom and the hydrogen will have partially positive charge. This is why they form weaker hydrogen bonds. Water is constantly forming and breaking the bonds.