Specific Heat

Definition

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of water, which is unusually high because of hydrogen bonding.

Water resists temperature change because incoming energy must first work against the hydrogen bond network before molecular motion increases. This high specific heat makes water an excellent and stable heat transfer medium in chillers and cooling loops. It is one of the properties that earns water the title Hero of Heat Transfer. It is a direct consequence of the hydrogen-bond network.

Related concepts

Heat Transfer · Hydrogen-Bond Network · Latent Heat of Vaporization

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🔥 thermodynamics