Question 23

Aluminum has the smallest specific heat capacity.

Among the materials listed, aluminum exhibits the smallest specific heat capacity, allowing it to heat up and cool down more quickly compared to the others.

A) water

Water has a relatively high specific heat capacity, approximately 4.18 J/g°C, which allows it to absorb and store large amounts of heat. This property makes it effective in stabilizing temperatures, meaning water cannot be the correct answer as it does not have the smallest specific heat capacity.

B) wood

Wood typically has a specific heat capacity ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 J/g°C, which is still higher than that of aluminum. Although wood can absorb heat, it is not the material with the smallest specific heat capacity among the options provided.

C) aluminum

Aluminum has a specific heat capacity of about 0.9 J/g°C, making it the material with the smallest specific heat capacity in this context. This characteristic enables aluminum to change temperature more rapidly than water, wood, or glass.

D) glass

Glass generally has a specific heat capacity around 0.84 J/g°C, which is lower than that of water but still higher than that of aluminum. Thus, glass does not qualify as the correct answer in this case.

Conclusion

Aluminum's specific heat capacity is the lowest among the options, allowing it to heat and cool quickly. In contrast, water, wood, and glass all have higher specific heat capacities, making them less efficient in terms of thermal response. Therefore, aluminum is definitively the correct answer.