Why Does Water Hold Heat Longer Than Soil?
Dirt, Air and Water jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a05/s6/t0/water-hold-heat-longer-soil_-1.1-800X800.jpg’); }); Early pioneers built houses out of sod for its insulating properties. Because of their physical properties, some materials transmit heat better than others. Water is a liquid, a fairly compact collection of hydrogen and oxygen that absorbs heat readily. Since it absorbs heat so well, it is a not a good insulator. Dirt, however, is a collection of random solids: silica, granite, calcium–all of the solids and crystals that make up dirt. Most components are poor absorbers of heat, making dirt a good insulator. This is why underground wine cellars stay at a fairly constant 45 to 55 degrees regardless of the air temperature above ground. Specific Heat jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a05/s6/t0/water-hold-heat-
