Materials for the construction of an amusement park are being considered for the building of various rides and attractions at the park. Materials are being selected based on their specific heat and are listed in the table below.
Material
Specific
Heat
(J/(kg•K))
450
Iron
Aluminum
900
Steel
502
Glass
840
Plastic
2302
The formula that relates energy change, mass, specific heat, and temperature change is
Energy Change = Mass Specific Heat * Temperature Change
The park engineers decided that a large, warm water fish tank would be a great attraction at the park's entrance. Based on the specific
heats of plastic and glass, wh material should they use to best warm the tank's water with heat from the sun? Explain your choice. How
many times more energy would need to be transferred to the plastic for it to get as warm as the glass? Assume that the mass and the
change in temperature are the same for both materials.