Let's consider the specific heats given for the materials:
- Copper: 0.385 [tex]\( J / (g \cdot ^\circ C) \)[/tex]
- Aluminum: 0.900 [tex]\( J / (g \cdot ^\circ C) \)[/tex]
- Iron: 0.440 [tex]\( J / (g \cdot ^\circ C) \)[/tex]
- Stainless steel: 0.120 [tex]\( J / (g \cdot ^\circ C) \)[/tex]
The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of the substance by one degree Celsius. A higher specific heat capacity means the substance will absorb more heat before its temperature increases significantly, and thus it will take longer to heat up.
To find which pot would take the water the longest to boil, we need to identify the substance with the highest specific heat capacity because it would absorb the most heat before increasing in temperature.
From the given values, let's compare the specific heats:
- Copper: 0.385
- Aluminum: 0.900
- Iron: 0.440
- Stainless steel: 0.120
Among these values, Aluminum has the highest specific heat capacity of 0.900 [tex]\( J / (g \cdot ^\circ C) \)[/tex].
Therefore, the pot made of Aluminum would take the longest to heat up the water to boiling point. The correct answer is:
Aluminum
