Why does a metal spoon heat up quickly when placed in a hot drink?
convection
insulation
high specific heat
low specific heat
The Table below compares the specific heat of four different substances. Metals such as iron have low specific heat. It doesn’t take much energy to raise their temperature. That’s why a metal spoon heats up quickly when placed in a cup of hot coffee. Sand also has a relatively low specific heat. Water, on the other hand, has a very high specific heat. It takes a lot more energy to increase the temperature of water than sand. This explains why the sand on a beach gets hot while the water stays cool. Differences in the specific heat of water and land even affect climate. To learn how, watch the video at this URL: http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=dkBStF2Rnu4.