26 April, 2023
BIOCHEMISTRY
Due to the scorching weather brought on by
summer, Filipinos prefer to visit indoor
swimming pools and even beaches
throughout the months of April and May to
cool down. But have you ever wondered why,
despite receiving the same amount of
energy from the sun, the sea doesn't boil and
the sand is hotter than the water?
So, the image above demonstrates the
distinction between the beach and the water
as they are both exposed to the sun.
Specific heat is the amount of heat it
takes to raise or lower the
temperature of one gram of a
substance by 1°C.
The ocean and other bodies of water warm
much more slowly than neighboring rocks,
soil, and buildings when the sun shines on
them due to the high specific heat of water.
BY: Kathleen Mae M. Hermo
ACTIVITY 2:
DIAGRAM ABOUT
SPECIFIC HEAT
In other words, when the same amount of
heat energy is applied to both sand and
water, the sand will experience a greater
temperature increase than the water. Of all
the substances on Earth, water has one of
the highest specific heat capacity.
Air temperatures around huge bodies of
water often fluctuate less because water
absorbs and releases heat at a pace
considerably slower than land. The sea's high
specific heat and the mixing that results
from wind and water contact serve to keep
land next to an ocean from being too hot.
In another example, if you leave a bucket of
water outside in the sun in summer it will
certainly get warm, but not hot enough to
boil an egg. But, if you walk barefoot on the
black asphalt of a street, you'll burn your feet.