The Astonishing Heat Capacity of Snow: Explained

[bandrews789]

Explain how it is possible for a 30,000 kg of snow at 0 deg C to contain more heat energy than 1 mL of liquid water at 100 deg C. (Assume a pressure of one atmosphere.) I am unsure of where to start this? Help Is there a formula?

 

[Chi Meson]

This is more of a conceptual thing: temperature is not thermal energy. Anything that is above absolute zero (zero Kelvins = -273 celcius) has thermal energy. Temperature is a measure of the average thermal energy per molecule in an object.

THink this way: what has more energy, a small cup of water at 100 C or a large barrel of water at 100 C? To put it another way, which one, the cup or barrel, needs more energy to get the water from 50 C to 100 C?

 

[GCT]

Explain how it is possible for a 30,000 kg of snow at 0 deg C to contain more heat energy than 1 mL of liquid water at 100 deg C. (Assume a pressure of one atmosphere.) I am unsure of where to start this? Help Is there a formula?

apply a phase diagram (and assume that heat capacity of the constituents of snow is somewhat identical to that of H20), apply the heat of fusion value to completely "freeze" the snow to find the heat energy of the process...bring the 1mL of water at 100C to the same state; find the corresponding heat energy (100C, apply dq=mcdT, bring it to 0C and apply the heat of fusion value).

 

[bandrews789]

Thank you for your assistance in this matter