Ice has a specific heat of 2.093Jg ∘C, liquid water's specific heat is 4.184Jg ∘C, and steam has a specific heat of 1.864Jg ∘C. Which phase of water will have the lowest temperature change upon heating, when the same amount of heat is applied to each?

Question

Jaydan Levy

Physics

4 February, 07:51

Ice has a specific heat of 2.093Jg ∘C, liquid water's specific heat is 4.184Jg ∘C, and steam has a specific heat of 1.864Jg ∘C. Which phase of water will have the lowest temperature change upon heating, when the same amount of heat is applied to each?

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Answers (1)

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Francis Savage · Answer 1

The liquid phase will have the lowest temperature change upon heating.

Explanation:

Assuming no phase change due to heating, we know that the temperature change, is proportional to the mass heated, being the proportionality constant a quantity that depends on the material, and represents the resistance of the material to change the temperature, called specific heat.

So, if we assume that the mass is the same for the three phases, and that the amount of heat supplied is also the same, the phase with the highest specific heat will have the lowest temperature change.

So, the liquid phase will be the one that exhibits this behavior, as the specific heat of liquid water (4.184 J/gºC) is the highest among the three phases.