Heat and temperature ________________________________________________________________ 5. Specific heat Q&A
Figure 7,10Q: Metal cooking pots and pans often have wooden handles. Can you explain why?
A: Wood has a higher specific heat than metal, so it takes more energy to heat a wooden handle than a metal handle. As a result, a wooden handle would heat up more slowly and be less likely to burn your hand when you touch it.
• Specific heat is a measure of how much energy it takes to raise the temperature of a substance. It is the amount of energy (in joules) needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram (or 1 kg) of the substance by 1 °C.
• Specific heat is a property that is specific to a given type of matter, and substances vary in their specific heat.
Metals tend to have low specific heat. Water has very high specific heat.