Question

when iron and brick are heated up to the same temperature why does the iron always have greater thermal energy

Answer 1

Iron typically has greater thermal energy than brick when both are heated to the same temperature due to differences in their specific heat capacity. The specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain amount. Iron has a lower specific heat capacity compared to brick, meaning it requires less energy to raise its temperature. As a result, when both iron and brick are heated to the same temperature, the iron will have absorbed more energy and have greater thermal energy.