Question

Specific heat of mercury is:
A: $0.06cal/gm{{/}^{\circ }}C$
B: $0.09cal/gm{{/}^{\circ }}C$
C: $0.03cal/gm{{/}^{\circ }}C$
D: $0.08cal/gm{{/}^{\circ }}C$

Answer 1

Hint: Specific heat refers to the exact value of heat that is required to make a unit mass of substance increase its warmth by one unit. It determines the heat capacity of any material. We know that mercury is the only metal that exists in the liquid form and it has multiple uses too. Hence, it must have a favourable value of specific heat to meet these properties.

Complete step by step answer:
The specific heat of a material can be defined as the ratio of the quantity of the heat that is required to raise the temperature of a material by one degree, to that of the heat required to raise the temperature of an equal mass of water by one degree.

Mercury has a low value of specific heat as it is capable of absorbing only a certain value of heat. The low value of specific heat and specific heat capacity is one of the major factors behind the wide applications of mercury in many areas, like the medical field, where it is used in thermometers.
Hence, among the given values we can say that the value of the specific heat of mercury is $0.03cal/gm{{/}^{\circ }}C$.

So, the correct answer is “Option C”.

Note:
There exists a difference between specific heat and specific heat capacity. If specific heat is the amount of heat required to increase temperature of a unit mass substance by unit degree, heat capacity is the amount of heat required to change temperature by one degree, irrespective of quantity.