Three 30 g metal balls, one of aluminum, copper and lead, are placed in a large beaker of hot water for a few minutes. [The specific heats of aluminum, copper, and lead are 903, 385, and 130 J / (kg ° C), respectively]. to. Which of the balls, if any, will reach the highest temperature? Explain.
b. Which of the balls, if any, will have the most heat energy? Explain.

The answer is below

Explanation:

Specific heat capacity is an intensive property of a material. The specific heat of a material is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one unit mass m of material by one unit of temperature.

a) Temperature is inversely proportional to specific heat capacity. If the same amount of heat is applied to all three balls, the ball that will reach the highest temperature is the ball with the least specific heat capacity.

Hence lead will have the highest temperature since it has the least specific heat capacity.

b) The quantity of heat is directly proportional to the specific heat capacity. Hence if all balls experience the same temperature change, the ball that have the most energy will be that with the highest specific heat capacity.

Hence aluminum will have the most heat since it has the highest specific heat capacity.