Specific Heat
As already discussed heat energy will always be transferred from one substance to another as a result of temperature differences.
The specific heat of a substance is defined at the amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for 1 g of that substance to change its temperature by 1º C.
The specific heat of water is 1.00 cal/g ºC. It takes 1 calorie of heat to raise water by 1ºC.
Because of the high specific heat of water relative to other materials, water will change its temperature less than other liquids when it absorbs a given amount of heat.
You can burn your finger by touching the metal handle of a pot on the stove when the water in the pot is still lukewarm. This is because the specific heat of water is ten times greater than that of iron.
Iron only has a specific heat of 0.11 cal/g ºC. It takes only 0.11 calories of heat to raise iron by 1ºC.
A refrigerant with a higher specific heat enables a small amount of the refrigerant to transfer a large amount of heat very efficiently.
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