Question

Which of the following substances has greatest specific heat ?

• A. Iron
• B. Gold
• C. Copper
• D. Mercury

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Iron

• Among the given options (Iron, Gold, Copper, and Mercury), Iron has the greatest specific heat capacity.

• Specific heat is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin).

• The approximate specific heat values of the given substances are:

  • Iron: 0.45 J/g·°C

  • Copper: 0.39 J/g·°C

  • Mercury: 0.14 J/g·°C

  • Gold: 0.13 J/g·°C

• Iron requires the most energy to heat up per unit mass compared to the other three metals, making it the substance with the greatest specific heat among the given options.