Question

The temperature of land rises faster than that of the sea because
1. the specific heat of soil is greater than water
2. ​the specific heat of soil is lesser than water
3. ​the specific heat of soil is equal to that of water
4. none of the above

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : ​the specific heat of soil is lesser than water

The correct answer is option 2) i.e. ​the specific heat of soil is lesser than water

CONCEPT: 

• Specific heat capacity: It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celcius.
  • Specific heat capacity (c) is related to the heat (Q) and temperature (T) as follows

\(c=\frac{\Delta Q}{m\Delta T}\)

EXPLANATION:

• The land getting heated faster means that it needs less heat (Q) to raise its temperature.
• For unit mass and temperature rise, specific heat capacity (c) is directly proportional to the heat contained (Q).
• For a given amount of water and soil, if the soil requires less heat to raise the temperature by 1^∘ C, it means that it has low specific heat capacity than water.
• Thus, the temperature of land rises faster than that of the sea because ​the specific heat of soil is lesser than water. Hence option 2 is correct.