[originaltext]M: Ouch, how can the sand be so hot when the water’s still cold?

M: Ouch, how can the sand be so hot when the water’s still cold? My feet feel like getting burnt.
W:[13]Now, Mark, were you sleeping when professor Brock gave that lecture on specific heat in physics class?
M: I didn’t come to San Diego on spring break to talk about professor Brock’s physics class.
W: I know, me neither. I was just answering your question, that’s all.
M: What question?
W: You weren’t even paying attention to your own question.
M: I was just complaining about the hot sand. Considering what the water’s like, I wonder how the sand can be so hot.
W: Well, professor Brock’s lecture on specific heat might give you a clue. Water has a higher specific heat than sand.
M: Then why is the sand so much hotter if water has a higher specific heat?
W: Don’t you remember?[14]Specific heat is the energy needed to raise the temperature of something. If something has a high specific heat, like water, it takes more energy to raise its temperature.
M: I see.[15]So you are saying that something with a high specific heat,, like water, doesn’t get hot as fast as something with a low specific heat, like sand, right?
W: Right. So sand gets hot faster during the day, that’s why it’s so hot while the water’s still cool.
M:[13]I guess you are right, I should pay more attention in class.
13. What do we know about Mark from the conversation?
14. What is the meaning of specific heat?
15. Why is the sand hotter than the water?