Question

The specific heat capacity of the human body is less than that of Water because:
A. Continuous perspiration lowers the specific heat capacity.
B. the presence of protein, fats, and minerals which have lower specific heat cause the specific heat of the body to be lower than that of Water.
C. specific heat of protein, fats is high, and they consume heat lowering the specific heat of the body.
D. the foodstuff which we eat requires to be burnt and takes up the heat, lowering the specific heat of the body.
D. the food which we eat requires to be burnt and takes up the heat, lowering the specific heat of the body.

Answer 1

We know that all substances behave differently when their temperature increases from a lower value to a higher value. For example, Water on increasing the temperature takes more time to raise its temperature for a unit degree increase than milk.

Complete step by step solution:
We know about specific heat that it is the input quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of the body to a single unit degree in temperature scale. All the materials and substances required a different amount of heat to change its temperature for a unit degree.
If we talk about gases, the specific heat of fluid is generally higher if we put no restriction in the volume of expansion of fluid, i.e., when the molecules are at a low energy state. They require some more energy to be at a higher state. But when the fluid is not allowed in a volume, then the molecules are close enough, and molecules have more energy. Then the molecules require less energy to raise its temperature for a unit degree Celsius.
Since the body has proteins, vitamins, and Water and minerals, and due to their combined effect, the specific heat, on the whole, becomes lower and probably lower than that of Water.

Therefore, the presence of protein, fats lower the specific heat of the body, and the correct option is (B).

Note: We have seen that when a liquid changes its phase, then this process occurs at a constant temperature, and hence the temperature of the liquid is constant at that time, and the specific heat-related to that process becomes infinity.