How can water absorb heat

This is because the majority of the heat was absorbed by the water and not the pan. Do not test by touching the pan with your hand! Due to waters ability to absorb heat, water is valuable to industries and in your car's radiator as a coolant. The high specific heat index of water also helps regulate the rate at which air changes temperature, which is why the temperature change between seasons is gradual rather than sudden, especially near the oceans.

Water is also able to retain heat better than many substances i. This is because for water to decrease in temperature, water molecules must be made to move more slowly within the water; this requires the forming of hydrogen bonds, and the forming of hydrogen bonds gives off heat hence counteracting cooling tendencies as heat is lost from liquid water.

Note again the concept that if forming something requires energy, then breaking that now-formed thing probably releases energy, in this case as heat.

Water's high specific heat serves to buffer the internal temperature of organisms, the temperatures of bodies of water, and the temperatures of the entire biosphere, all things that enhance the ability of life to survive on this planet. The main source of ocean heat is sunlight. Heat absorbed by the ocean is moved from one place to another but does not disappear. The heat energy eventually re enters the rest of the earth by melting ice shelves, evaporating water, or directly reheating the atmosphere.

This means the heat in the ocean can warm the planet for decades after it was absorbed. You may ask yourself how this unique ability of water affects you. Mixed with the water in the packs are propylene glycol and a dash of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose that lower its freezing point.

The PCMs enable the pack to absorb the ambient heat of the school locker or the trunk of the car, yet never themselves become hot enough to melt, ensuring fresh sandwiches and chilled soft drinks when the lunch bell rings. Why is mercury liquid at room temperature? How does a match burn in a spacecraft?

Is fire a solid, a liquid, or a gas? What makes wood rot so slowly? Does a golf ball really change its shape when struck by the club? For water, this amount is one calorie, or 4.

As a result, it takes water a long time to heat and a long time to cool. In fact, the specific heat capacity of water is about five times more than that of sand. This explains why the land cools faster than the sea. The resistance to sudden temperature changes makes water an excellent habitat, allowing organisms to survive without experiencing wide temperature fluctuation.