6.1.6 CIA Demonstration: Cool Fire

Question 1

CIA Demonstration: Cool Fire

Answer 1

• Heat capacity measures the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a material.
• Water has a high heat capacity allowing it to absorb a large amount of energy with a small change in temperature.

Question 2

note

Answer 2

• Heat capacity measures the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a material.
• Water has a high heat capacity, allowing it to absorb a large amount of energy with a small change in temperature.
• The combustion reaction of ethanol is exothermic,
  generating 1367 kilojoules per mole of ethanol burned.
• Ordinarily this would be enough energy to start the
  combustion reaction of the paper, but the high specific heat of water absorbs most of the energy.
• The same principle allows special effects in which something appears to burn without being consumed, and also allows people to walk on hot coals without burning their feet.