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In simple words, water has high heat capacity because it has a lower molar mass, and specific heat is inverse to a substance's mass. Another reason for high specific heat is its strong hydrogen bonding.

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Naheed Mir

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3y ago
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Benedette Ude

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2w ago
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Bichara Zakaria

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2y ago

Water's high heat capacity is a property caused by hydrogen bonding among water molecules. When heat is absorbed, hydrogen bonds are broken and water molecules can move freely. When the temperature of water decreases, the hydrogen bonds are formed and release a considerable amount of energy.

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8y ago

First, we need to know a little bit about water. Water is a polar molecule because oxygen bears partial negative charge and hydrogen bears partial positive charge. This results in extensive hydrogen bonding in water molecules between slightly negative oxygens and slightly positive hydrogens. Second, we need to remember that temperature is another way of saying the average kinetic energy of particles - the higher the temperature, the faster they move, in the case of gases and liquids, or vibrate, in the case of solids. Third, heat capacity is the ability of matter to absorb thermal energy. One calorie is defined as the amount required to heat a gram of water one degree Centigrade. That same calorie will heat a gram of gold 33 degrees.

Water's specific heat is defined as 1. The specific heat of gold is therefore .03. Water has a high specific heat because there are quite a few ways water can store heat. 1. Moving along three axes 2. Rotating the "V" shaped molecule in three different directions 3. Hydrogen atoms vibrating back and forth like a tuning fork 4. Hydrogen atoms vibrating up and down along their H-O axis.

Finally, the heat of fusion of water is 80 calories per gram, and the heat of vaporization for water is 540 calories. So ice can absorb 80 times as much heat while melting as the same mass of water. Water absorbs 540 times as much heat while turning into water vapor as the same mass of water absorbs. Both phase changes occur at constant temperature, 0 Centigrade and 100 Centigrade respectively. Look up phase change graph for water to see the interesting line.

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Pro Blogger

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1y ago

Water has high specific heat capacity because of its high latent heat of vaporization and large enthalpy of fusion. Latent heat of vaporization is the heat that changes the state of a substance from liquid to gas. For example when water is boiled, the heat is given off to vaporize the water. Enthalpy of fusion is the amount of heat required to convert a substance from solid to liquid. For example when ice is heated, the heat required to melt the ice is released. So water gives off large amount of heat when it changes from solid to liquid and vice versa. This property of water is used in cooling system. When water is cooled, it takes in a large amount of heat. This heat is later released when the same water is heated up to produce steam. So it takes less energy to keep water at a desired temperature than any other substance.

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braveowen

Lvl 5
1y ago

Water has a high specific heat capacity because it requires a lot of energy to raise its temperature. Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (or 1 Kelvin). Water has a high specific heat capacity because the molecules in water are held together by strong hydrogen bonds, which require a lot of energy to break. As a result, it takes a lot of energy to raise the temperature of water, and it can absorb or release a large amount of heat without undergoing a significant change in temperature.

This property of water makes it an excellent heat sink, which means it can absorb and dissipate heat very efficiently. This is why water is often used as a coolant in various types of cooling systems, such as in car radiators and air conditioners. The high specific heat capacity of water also makes it an important factor in the regulation of temperature in living organisms and in the Earth's climate.

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10y ago

It requires a high quantity of heat to raise its temperature by each degree.

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Q: Why is water said to have a high specific heat capacity?
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Related questions

Does hydrogen or water has high specific heat capacity?

Water has a MUCH higher specific heat than hydrogen.


Which substance having high specific heat capacity?

A common substance with a high specific heat is water. There are a few substances that have a higher heat capacity than water, though, such as lithium and ammonia.


What property of water makes it so your high temperature will go down?

Water has a high heat capacity and a high specific heat capacity 4.184 kJ/kg/K


Water is a good coolant because of its hig heat of?

Water has a high heat capacity, so it can absorbs a lot of heat in comparison to other molecules of the same amount or volume.


What is high heat capacity?

A substance with a high specific heat capacity is one that needs a lot of heat energy pumped into it in order to raise its temperature. Substances with relatively high specific heat capacities include water, rock, and potatoes.


A coastal climate is moderated primarily by which of the follwing properties of water?

High specific heat


Does sand have a high or low specific heat capacity?

sand have low specific heat capacity.


What does it mean to say that a material has a high or low specific heat capacity?

The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of a said substance 1o K. The capacity is measured in kilojoules divided by kilogram time degrees Kelvin (kJ/Kg k). So, if the specific heat capacity of a substance is high, it requires a very large amount of energy to increase the temperature, and if it has a low specific heat capacity, the required energy will be lower.


Water has a high specific heat capacity which means that water?

Has strong binding forces among the molecules.


What does the high specific heat of water have to do with the convection currents in the air at the seashore?

Water'specific heat capacity is 4200 J/Kg°C . This high specific heat capacity suggests that the water will travel long distances without losing heat . This makes the convection currents in the air last longer.


What practical use would a substance with a very high specific heat have?

Heat and thus energy storage. UK heating systems in homes use circulating water to heat homes because of water's high Specific Heat Capacity.


How does heat capacity makes water a good heat sink?

If a body of water has a high heat capacity, it can store more thermal energy making it a good heat sink.