LATENT AND SPECIFIC HEAT. 341 



(2.) Specific heat of some substances in different states : 



Solid. Liquid. Aeriform. 



Water 5050 1.0000 .4805 



Bromine 0843 .1060 .0555 



Alcohol .5050 .4534 



Ether .5467 .4797 



536. Specific Heat of Water. Water in its 

 liquid form has a higher specific heat than any 

 other substance except hydrogen. For this reason the 

 ocean and our lakes are cooled and heated more slowly 

 than the land and atmosphere. They thus modify sudden 

 changes of temperature, and give rise to the well known 

 fact that the climate of the sea-coast is warmer in winter 

 and cooler in summer than that of inland places of the 

 same latitude. The heat of summer is stored up in the 

 ocean and slowly given out during the winter. This fact 

 also explains a phenomenon familiar to those living on the 

 borders of the ocean or great lakes. Because of its lower 

 specific heat, the land becomes during the day more heated 

 than the water. The air in contact with the land thus 

 becomes more heated, expands, rises and forms an upper 

 current from the land accompanied by a corresponding 

 under current to the land, the latter constituting the 

 welcome sea or lake breezes of summer. After sunset, 

 however, the land cools more rapidly than the water, the 

 process is reversed, and we have an under current from 

 the land constituting the land breeze. 



EXERCISES. 



1. One kilogram of water at 40 C., 2 kilograms at 30* C., 3 kilo- 

 grams at 20 C., and 4 kilograms at 10 C. are mixed. Find the tem- 

 perature of the mixture. 



2. One pound of mercury at 20 C. was mixed with one pound of 



