Specific Heat
Specific heat is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature
of 1gm of a substance by 1 degree. The human body is composed of
water, protein fat, and minerals. Its specific heat reflects this
composition. With 75% water and 25% protein, the specific heat of the
body would be
Specific heat = 0.75 x 1 + 0.25 x 0 .4 = 0.85.
The specific heat of the average human body is closer to 0.83 due to its
fat and mineral content, which we have not included in the calculation.
The specific heats of some substances are shown in the following
table-1.
