University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321973615
ISBN 13: 978-0-32197-361-0

Chapter 17 - Temperature and Heat - Problems - Discussion Questions - Page 574: Q17.21

Answer

See explanation.

Work Step by Step

The wet filling has trapped steam, which has a high heat of vaporization. The heat released as the steam condenses to liquid water is considerable, and this burns your mouth. Furthermore, the liquid water has a relatively high specific heat capacity compared to other common materials, such as the pie crust. Another way to phrase this is that the wet filling has a lot of "thermal inertia". Before it cools to room temperature, it will dump a lot of thermal energy into your tongue.
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