Friends Boys School

10th grade (MYP Level 5)

Water's High Specific heat capacity impact of their use in industry

Physics Essay
Raed Shehadeh

Name Ezzaldin Ghaith

Section 10A
Date 10/8/2022

This assessment will be assessed on criterion D.

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 1
(Figure 1.0)
An amount of heat needed to raise one gram of a substance one degree Celsius (°C) is called specific heat.
Compared to other substances, water has a high specific heat, meaning it takes more energy to raise its
temperature. It is for this reason that water is valued in industries and used in your car's radiator to keep it cool.
Since water has a high specific heat, it also helps regulate the rate at which air temperature changes, which is
why the change between seasons is gradual rather than sudden, especially near the ocean. The same concept can
be applied globally. Across the world, oceans and lakes regulate the temperature ranges that billions of people
experience. Cities near oceans tend to have fewer extreme temperatures and less change than cities inland
because water takes longer to heat up and cool down than land. Due to this property of water, states on the coast
and in the middle of the country experience such different temperatures. In a Midwest state like Nebraska,
winters will be colder and summers will be hotter than in Oregon, which is higher latitude but close to the
Pacific Ocean. 1

How to determine specific heat values? In order to determine specific heat values, you can use the following
method: When two materials are initially at different temperatures, heat always flows from the warmer material
into the colder material until both materials reach the same temperature when placed in contact. A material that
gains heat from a colder material must lose the same amount of heat from a warmer material, as provided by the
law of conservation of energy, which is Q = Cm ∆t. 2

• Q = Heat absorbed by a body is measured

• T = Temperature rise
• c = The specific heat capacity of a substance varies depending on its material.
• m = mass of the body
• The SI unit of specific heat is J kg-1 K-1. 2

How water is unique from the other substances?

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Due to its two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, water is electronegative. Because an electronegative atom
has a partially positive charge on one side and a partially negative charge on the other, it is more likely to attract
electrons. In nature, opposite-charged sides are drawn toward each other, resulting in a weaker hydrogen bond.
As a result, water can flow past itself, but it can also bond together - it forms and breaks bonds constantly.
Liquid water also has a high specific heat because of these bonds. Any energy put into heating water is split
between breaking the bonds and heating it. Due to this, water requires more energy to heat than other
substances. 3

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(Figure 2.0)

(This table in Figure 2.0 compares water with many common substances in terms of their heat energy.)
Water’s Heat capacity, which can be calculated based on the equation Q = C m ∆t, measures the ability of a
molecule to absorb heat energy. The high heat capacity of water is caused by hydrogen bonds between its
molecules. By absorbing heat, hydrogen bonds are broken and water molecules are free to move. As water's
temperature decreases, hydrogen bonds are formed and a great deal of energy is released. There is no liquid with
a higher specific heat capacity than water. A substance's specific heat is the amount of heat it must absorb or lose
in order to change its temperature by one degree Celsius. There are 4.184 Joules in a calorie of water. Therefore,
water takes a long time to heat and cool. Water has a specific heat capacity five times greater than sand. This
explains why the sand cools faster than the sea. 5 High Specific heat capacity can solve a lot of problems like
keeping the heat of things like in cold countries, wine bottles are kept under water. Due to high specific heat
capacity of water, it takes a long time for temperature to reach 0°C, why this happens? As a result of its high
specific heat, or heat capacity, water is able to absorb a lot of heat before its temperature rises. It uses this trait to
stabilize the temperature in its surroundings. And also, it can help us in car radiators, Car radiators use water as a
coolant. With its high specific heat capacity, it can absorb a lot of heat energy from the engine, but its temperature
doesn't rise too much. And also, it does affect the ocean places which Water has a five-fold greater specific heat
capacity than sand. As a result, it takes much longer to heat and cool than sand so during the day, Sea temperature
decreases faster than land temperature during the day. As hot air rises, cool air moves to fill its place, resulting in
a sea breeze. And also, it can affect cooking, (why the foods cooked in oil are hotter than if its cooked in w ater?)
its Because the water’s specific heat (4186 J/kg K) is greater than the oil’s specific heat which is lesser than
(<2000 J/Kg K) so the water needs more energy (heat (Q)) to its ΔT to rise, on the other hand the oil will need
less energy (heat (Q)) for its temperature to rise. Besides protecting our food, water also acts as a vasodilator,
which when water is applied to any part of the body, it expands blood vessel, thereby improving circulation. 6
How High Specific heat capacity of water is important to sustain life? Water's high heat energy is extremely
helpful to life. If water failed to have such a high heat capability, the temperature of Earth would modification
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violently with the dynamic of day to nighttime. The temperature is an environmental factor that affects organisms'
ability to survive and reproduce. Many organisms rely on stable temperatures to survive. Due to water’s high
specific heat (in the environment or inside the body) can help regulate body temperature. Microscopic algae and
coral, for example, rely on one another to survive. As water temperatures rise, microscopic algae leave coral tissue
and the coral slowly dies, a process known as coral bleaching. Since water has a high specific heat capacity, large
bodies of water can regulate their temperature. Due to their higher specific heat, oceans are capable of retaining
more heat than land. Compared to oceans, land tends to heat up more quickly. Additionally, they tend to cool
down faster and reach lower temperatures.
Similarly, water's high specific heat helps explain why temperatures on land near bodies of water are usually
milder and more stable. Because water's high thermal capacity limits its temperature within a relatively small
range, seas and coastal areas have more consistent temperatures than inland areas. However, areas farther from
the shore tend to experience a much greater range of daily and seasonal temperatures.
In addition, we can observe the effect of high specific heat on organisms' temperature regulation abilities. Warm-
blooded animals, for instance, are able to distribute their body heat more uniformly thanks to the high specific
heat of water. In a similar way to a car's cooling system, water helps maintain a consistent body temperature by
moving heat from hot spots to cold spots. 6 And also, high water capacity can help in medical ways like it is
used to enchase Blood circulation, which when water is applied to any part of the body, it expands blood vessel,
thereby improving circulation 7

To sum up
All substances have totally different heat capability, that is outlined because the quantity of energy or heat that
ought to be gained or lost of 1gram (g) of that substance to vary the temperature of that substance by 1◦c. Water
has an extremely high specific heat capacity, almost higher than most liquids. As a result, it takes longer to heat
and lose its heat. We benefit quite a bit from this quality of water in our day-to-day lives like while cooking foods
like meats, vegetables in oil they will be too hot to touch, on the other hand it will feel less hot if used water while
cooking this is because water needs more energy to raise its temperature, which we use the formula ΔT = Q/(m*c)
to find the temperature 7
Q= Heat
m= mass
c= specific heat
ΔT= temperature change
In addition, water specific heat, It's virtually a matter of life and death. A substance with a high heat energy
capability effectively possesses a high thermal inertia. Consequently, it'll bear a smaller natural action for a given
quantity of warmth absorbed or discharged. while not the massive quantity of water within the oceans that cowl
the key half (71%) of the surface, the day-night temperature would swing wildly between a high most and an
occasional minimum. These temperature variations would build planet Earth inhospitable to life. Not for nothing
is that the Earth conjointly referred to as the water planet. 8

References:
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(1)-(image)
Access to this page has been denied. (n.d.). https://www.chegg.com/learn/physics/introduction-to-
physics/specific-heat-of-water

(2)-
2.14: Water - High heat capacity. (2022, June 8). Biology LibreTexts.
https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_General_Biology
_(Boundless)/02%3A_The_Chemical_Foundation_of_Life/2.14%3A_Water_-_High_Heat_Capacity

(3)-
Specific heat capacity and water | U.S. geological survey. (2018, June 6). USGS.gov | Science for a
changing world. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/specific-heat -
capacity-and-water

(4)-(image)

Specific Heat Of Water. (n.d.). https://www.chegg.com/learn/physics/introduction-to-

physics/specific-heat-of-water

(5)-
Brinks, M. (n.d.). What is the specific heat of water? How is it special? Online SAT / ACT Prep Blog by
PrepScholar. https://blog.prepscholar.com/specific-heat-capacity-of-water

(6)-

2020 Haygot Technologies, Ltd. (n.d.). Mention the applications of high specific heat capacity of water.
https://www.toppr.com/ask/

(7)-
Specific heat capacity of water | Turito US blog. (2022, March 29). Turito Blog.
https://www.turito.com/blog/one-on-one-online-tutoring/specific-heat-capacity-of-water

(8)-(book)
Dam, S. A. (2020). Heat capacity: Theory and measurement.

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Grammar Check

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