Question

a chef wants a new frying pan that can cook food quickly at temperatures above 500°c. using the data in the table provided, which metal is the best choice for the new pan? copper, because it has the lowest specific heat capacity zinc, because it has the highest specific heat capacity. iron, because it lower specific heat capacity and is cheapest aluminum, because it has the highest specific heat capacity

Explanation:

• Specific heat capacity: A lower specific heat capacity means the metal heats up faster (since \(Q = mc\Delta T\), for a given \(Q\) and \(m\), a smaller \(c\) gives a larger \(\Delta T\)).
• Melting point: The metal must have a melting point above \(500^{\circ}C\). Zinc has a melting point of \(419^{\circ}C\) (too low).
• Copper has the lowest specific heat capacity among the metals with melting points above \(500^{\circ}C\) (melting point of \(1084^{\circ}C\)). Aluminum has a higher specific heat capacity (\(900\ J/kg^{\circ}C\)) than copper (\(386\ J/kg^{\circ}C\)), so it will heat up more slowly. Iron has a higher specific heat capacity (\(444\ J/kg^{\circ}C\)) than copper. Also, the cost (mentioned as "cheapest" for iron) is not relevant as the problem only asks based on the given data (specific heat capacity and melting point).

Answer:

Copper, because it has the lowest specific heat capacity.