If a substance heats up quickly when energy is added, what can be inferred about its specific heat capacity?

• A. Its specific heat capacity cannot be determined.
• B. It has a low specific heat capacity.
• C. It has a high specific heat capacity.
• D. Its specific heat capacity is equal to that of water.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the definition of specific heat capacity: it is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. Mathematically, it is expressed as \(q = m \times c \times \Delta T\), where \(q\) is heat energy, \(m\) is mass, \(c\) is specific heat capacity, and \(\Delta T\) is the temperature change.
2. Understand the relationship between specific heat capacity and temperature change: for a given amount of heat energy added (\(q\)), a substance with a low specific heat capacity (\(c\)) will experience a larger temperature change (\(\Delta T\)), while a substance with a high specific heat capacity will experience a smaller temperature change.
3. Analyze the problem statement: if a substance heats up quickly when energy is added, it means that for the same amount of heat energy, the temperature change (\(\Delta T\)) is large.
4. From the equation \(q = m \times c \times \Delta T\), rearranged as \(c = \frac{q}{m \times \Delta T}\), a large \(\Delta T\) for a fixed \(q\) and \(m\) implies a smaller value of \(c\) (specific heat capacity).
5. Therefore, the substance that heats up quickly when energy is added must have a low specific heat capacity.