QUESTION IMAGE
Question
- which property is demonstrated when paper towels absorb a water spill?
- water has high specific heat. what does this mean?
- summarize how water’s high specific heat contributes to the moderation of
temperature. how is this property important to life?
- define evaporation. describe the effect of this property on living things.
Question 6
The property demonstrated when paper towels absorb a water spill is capillary action, which is related to water's adhesion (attraction to other substances) and cohesion (attraction to itself) properties. Paper towels have porous structures, and water molecules are attracted to the paper (adhesion) and to each other (cohesion), allowing water to move up the tiny spaces in the paper towel against gravity.
Specific heat is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. A high specific heat for water means that water can absorb or release a large amount of heat energy with only a small change in its own temperature. For example, it takes a relatively large amount of heat to warm up water, and a large amount of heat is released when water cools down.
- Temperature Moderation: Since water has a high specific heat, it can absorb a lot of heat during the day (e.g., in oceans, lakes) without a large temperature increase. At night, it releases that heat slowly, preventing rapid cooling. This stabilizes the temperature of the environment (like coastal areas having milder climates).
- Importance to Life: For organisms, water in cells and bodies can absorb heat from metabolic processes or external heat without overheating. It also helps regulate the temperature of habitats (e.g., aquatic ecosystems stay stable, supporting life). Organisms can release heat when needed, and the stable temperature of water bodies supports diverse life forms.
Snap & solve any problem in the app
Get step-by-step solutions on Sovi AI
Photo-based solutions with guided steps
Explore more problems and detailed explanations
The property demonstrated is capillary action (related to adhesion and cohesion of water). Water adheres to the paper towel fibers and cohere to other water molecules, allowing absorption through the porous structure.