Which substance is easiest to heat up gram for gram by one Kelvin?

The substance that is easiest to heat up gram for gram by one Kelvin is liquid water. This is primarily because of its specific heat capacity, which is a measure of how much energy is required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin, since the intervals are the same).

Liquid water has a relatively high specific heat capacity, approximately 4.18 joules per gram per Kelvin. This means that it can absorb a significant amount of heat before experiencing a change in temperature. This property makes water an excellent heat reservoir and is crucial in various natural processes, such as climate regulation and biological functions.

In contrast, substances like gold and copper have lower specific heat capacities. They heat up more quickly than water when the same amount of energy is applied, which means they require less energy to change temperature but are not considered easier to heat up on a gram-for-gram basis, as their mass-to-energy conversion does not allow for as much thermal moderation as liquid water.

Ice, though it has a lower specific heat than liquid water, still requires energy to change state (melting) before its temperature can increase significantly. This adds complexity to the heating process.

Therefore, liquid water stands out for its ability to