Specific heat capacity can be described as a substance’s resistance to temperature changes. Which substance has a greater specific heat capacity, copper or water? Explain.

Specific heat capacity is defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature per unit mass. It is measured in Joules and is calculated by the formula .

The water will have a high specific heat capacity because the molecule has little ability to change in temperature. The energy required by water is more as compared to copper.

The atoms of the copper are closely packed, and heat is transferred easily due to the conductivity of the copper. Thus, the quantity of energy required by copper will be less and will be more easily heated as compared to water.

Therefore, the correct answer is water.

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Water

Explanation:

Water has high specific heat capacity because it has little ability to change in temperature which means that more energy is needed to increase the temperature of water compared to that of copper.

Metal atoms in copper are closely packed together and heat is transfered easily by conduction to other atoms. Therefore, the quantity of energy needed to heat up copper is smaller compared to that of water.