Name
Class
Date
Specific Heat
Enrichment Activity for Lesson 16-8
Skills: interpreting graphs, applying concepts
Read the passage. Then, study the graphs that show temperature changes in
different substances as heat is added at a steady rate. Use the graphs to answer
the questions that follow.
One calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 g of water 1°C. Not all substances,
however, react to an increase in energy the way water does. Other substances may
experience a greater temperature change or a smaller temperature change for every
calorie of energy that is added.
1. In graph A, which substance is experiencing a greater increase in temperature? Aluminum
2. Does this substance experience a greater temperature increase or a smaller temperature increase
than water for every calorie of energy that is added? Greater
3. In graph B, which substance is experiencing the greater temperature increase? Gold
4. Does this substance experience a greater temperature increase or a smaller temperature increase
than aluminum for each calorie of energy added? Greater
5. Which has the higher specific heat—water or aluminum? Water
6. Which has the higher specific heat—aluminum or gold? Aluminum
7. Rank the three substances—aluminum, gold, and water—in order of increasing specific heat.
Gold, Aluminum, Water
Concepts and Challenges in Physical Science, Teacherʼs Resources CD-ROM
(c) by Pearson Education, Inc./Globe Fearon/Pearson Learning Group. All rights reserved.
Heat: CHAPTER 16
Name
Class
Date
Use the information in the tables below to answer the following problems.
Solids
Specific Heat
(cal/g °C)
Liquids
Specific Heat
(cal/g °C)
Glass
0.16
Alcohol
0.58
Ice
0.50
Mercury
0.033
Steel
0.11
Oil
~0.5
Stone
~0.2
Water
1.0
Wood
0.4
1. Which materials change their temperature most easily? Which materials are most resistant to
any change in temperature?
Mercury changes temperature most easily, followed by steel and glass.
Water is most resistant to temperature change, followed by alcohol and ice
2. How much heat would have to be applied to a kilogram of stone to raise its temperature 10°C?
Two kilocalories of heat would raise the temperature of a kilogram of stone by 10°C.
Q = m c ΔT = (1 kg) (~0.2 kcal/kg °C) (10°C) = 2 kcal
3. Suppose it takes 1000 calories to warm 100 g of a sample by 20.°C. From the list above, which
material(s) might the sample be?
c = Q ÷ (m ΔT) = (1000 cal) ÷ (100 g 20°C) = 0.5 cal / g °C
The sample has the same specific heat capacity as oil and ice, so it might be one of those.
4. Which takes more energy: warming a kilogram of ice from –15°C to –7°C or warming a liter of
water from 18°C to 23°C?
Ice: Q = m c ΔT = (1 kg) (0.5 kcal/kg °C) (8°C) = 4 kcal
Water: Q = m c ΔT = (1 kg) (1 kcal/kg °C) (5°C) = 5 kcal
It takes more energy to warm the water.
5. Suppose 800 Joules of heat are applied to 200 g of wood and the same amount of heat is applied
to 500 g of steel. If they both started at room temperature, which one ends up hotter, and by
how much?
Wood: ΔT = Q ÷ (m c) = (800 J)(1 cal/4.18 J) ÷ (200 g 0.4 cal/g°C) = 2.4 °C
Steel: ΔT = Q ÷ (m c) = (800 J)(1 cal/4.18 J) ÷ (500 g 0.11 cal/g°C) = 3.5 °C
The steel gets 1.1 °C hotter.
6. If you pour 200 g of hot alcohol into a cold 200 g glass, which will change its temperature by the
larger amount? If the alcohol was at 45°C and the glass was at 15°C before they were put
together, what is their final temperature?
Glass has a lower specific heat than alcohol (and the masses are the same), so the glass
will change temperature more. (We’ll skip the math here, but the final temperature will
be Tf = 38.5 °C.)
7. Write your own heat transfer problem involving the materials oil and mercury.
Concepts and Challenges in Physical Science, Teacherʼs Resources CD-ROM
(c) by Pearson Education, Inc./Globe Fearon/Pearson Learning Group. All rights reserved.
Heat: CHAPTER 16