Compared to a giant iceberg, a hot cup of coffee has

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A giant iceberg has a much larger thermal energy than a hot cup of coffee, but its temperature is much lower. The temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance, whereas thermal energy is the total kinetic and potential energy of all the particles in a substance. Therefore, even though a cup of coffee may have a higher temperature, an iceberg has much more thermal energy due to its greater mass. The specific heat capacity, which is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree, is not a relevant factor in this comparison.

Compared to a Giant Iceberg, a Hot Cup of Coffee