A student claims, “A cast-iron skillet is safer to touch than an aluminum skillet…
PHYSICS · Single correct · AP · Physics 2: Algebra-based · Thermodynamics · Thermodynamics
Problem
A student claims, “A cast-iron skillet is safer to touch than an aluminum skillet during cooking because cast iron has a larger specific heat capacity, so less energy will reach your hand.” Which of the following best evaluates the student’s claim?
(a) The claim is flawed because cast iron actually has a higher thermal conductivity than aluminum, so heat would reach your hand even faster.
(b) The claim is flawed because specific heat capacity affects how much energy is needed to change a material’s temperature, not how quickly energy is conducted to the hand.
(c) The claim is correct because the product of specific heat capacity and surface area determines the rate at which heat is conducted, so a larger specific heat decreases the energy that reaches your hand.
(d) The claim is correct because a large specific heat capacity prevents the skillet from exceeding 100∘C.