Do all non-conductors of heat have a specific heat of zero?
For example, what would be the specific heat for polystyrene, used for making cups and plates, be?
For example, what would be the specific heat for polystyrene, used for making cups and plates, be?
1 Answer
Rather than having a low specific heat capacity, non-conductors have a high specific heat capacity.
The formula for heat transfer is
#color(blue)(|bar(ul(color(white)(a/a)q = mcΔT color(white)(a/a)|)))" "#
where c, the specific heat capacity, is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of sample by 1 °C.
If you think about it, a non-conductor would require a large amount of heat to raise its temperature by 1 °C — it would have a high specific heat capacity.
Metals, of course, are good conductors of heat; many solids are "non-conductors", and gases are the poorest conductors.
There is probably no such thing as a perfect non-conductor.
Here is a short table of the specific heat capacities of some common substances at room temperature.
Notice that polystyrene is a better conductor than other common polymers.
