Consider the following specific heats: copper, 0.384 J/g· ◦C; lead, 0.159 J/g· ◦C; water, 4.18 J/g· ◦C; glass, 0.502 J/g· ◦C. Wh
ich substance, once warmed, would be more likely to maintain its heat and keep you warm through a long football game on a cold night? 1. lead 2. water 3. glass 4. copper.
The specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree. It is connected to the capacity of the substance to retain heat as well as the rate at which it will cool down or heat up when exposed to a specific amount of heat loss or heat supplied. A substance with a low heat capacity such as iron will cool down or heat up more quicker than a substance with a high heat capacity such as water.
From the list of substances water has the highest heat capacity, (4.18 J/g) as such it will retain heat for the longest period of time.
