Question

Cube	Trial	Initial Temp (°C)	Final Temp (°C)	Time (s)
Quartz	1	20.00	25.98	8.00
	2	20.00	28.97	12.00
Ruby	1	20.00	27.71	3.20
	2	20.00	31.57	4.80
Aluminum	1	20.00	26.46	2.40
	2	20.00	29.69	3.60
Gold	1	20.00	26.46	1.60
	2	20.00	29.69	2.40

What accounts for the different heating times for each cube?

Answer 1

Heat takes some time as it flows from on object to another object or a part of the object to other part. The time it takes to heat to flow depends upon many parameters such as the length of the object, area of its cross section, temperature difference. Even all the above three parameters are the same the rate of heat transfer for different objects will be different as the rate of heat transfer also depends upon the nature of the material. For some materials heat transfers fast and for some slow. This is the reason for different heating times of cubes.