To determine which substance is most likely to heat up the fastest, we need to consider the specific heat capacities of each substance. Specific heat capacity is a measure of the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a given mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.
The specific heat capacities of the given substances are:
- Water: [tex]\( 4.19 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
- Copper: [tex]\( 0.39 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
- Aluminum: [tex]\( 0.90 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
- Dry air: [tex]\( 1.01 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
Minimizing the specific heat capacity allows us to heat up the substance with the least amount of energy. Therefore, the substance with the smallest specific heat capacity will heat up the fastest.
Let's compare the specific heat capacities:
- Water: [tex]\( 4.19 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
- Copper: [tex]\( 0.39 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
- Aluminum: [tex]\( 0.90 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
- Dry air: [tex]\( 1.01 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex]
The substance with the smallest specific heat capacity is copper, with a specific heat of [tex]\( 0.39 \, \text{J/g} \cdot \text{C}^\circ \)[/tex].
Therefore, copper is the substance most likely to heat up the fastest.
