specificheatofsolidsandliquids-greenrivercommunity（13页）.docVIP

Specific Heat of Solids and Liquids Part I Have you noticed that when it is really cold outside, lakes in this area may freeze, but Puget Sound does not freeze? You’d also be right to think it has something to do with the salt water. But there’s more to it than that. What about the Great Lakes? These are large freshwater lakes and although the surface freezes, this only happens when it is very cold for a prolonged period of time. It can be –10 oC in Chicago for a week straight, and still Lake Michigan doesn’t freeze through. (Recall that the freezing point of water is 0 oC.) ? Can you think of any possible explanation for this? Did your explanation have anything to do with the fact that the Great Lakes are very large, and have lots of water in them? If so, good job! But that’s only half of the answer. To see why, think about this. As before, let’s imagine a week in Chicago where it has been –10 oC for the entire week. As we mentioned above, even in these conditions Lake Michigan doesn’t freeze. But here’s the interesting thing. If you took a thermometer and measured the temperature of both the lake and the surrounding ground (soil), you would find that the ground was colder than the lake. The ground temperature might be as low as –5 oC or even lower! There is more ground in the Chicago area than there is water in Lake Michigan, so the size of the lake alone does not explain this observation. The same thing happens in the summer. It can get to be 38 oC (100 oF) in Chicago in the summer, and still Lake Michigan will never get warmer than 27 oC (80 oF). Yet the sidewalks, roads and highways are all roasting hot. ? So, why do you think the temperature of the lake is never as cold as or as warm as that of the surrounding air and ground? Write down your hypothesis before continuing. Once you know the answer to this question, you should have a good understanding of a concept called specific heat. The best way to understand a concept like speci