2026年3月6日 / Last updated : 2026年3月6日 桑子 研 Science

How Are Iron and Aluminum Different? Discover the “Personality” of Materials with 100°C Metal! (Specific Heat Experiment)

I’m Ken Kuwako, your Science Trainer. Every day is an experiment!

Have you ever noticed how an iron frying pan heats up in a flash, while a pot of water seems to take forever to boil? This isn’t just your imagination—it’s all thanks to a unique “personality trait” every substance possesses. In science class, we call this Specific Heat. Today, I’m excited to share an experiment report that makes learning about this concept incredibly efficient, safe, and surprisingly fun.

An Oden Pot in the Science Lab?! A Revolutionary Heating Method

We recently conducted an experiment to measure the specific heat of various metals. The mission: heat 100g samples of three different metals to 100°C, drop them into a set amount of water, and calculate their specific heat based on how much the water temperature rises. To get them hot, we used strings to suspend the metals in an electric pot. Believe it or not, this electric pot was the secret MVP of the day.

In school settings, electric rice cookers and multi-pots are absolute game-changers. They can keep water at a steady temperature, they’re stable so there’s less risk of spills, and they provide a safe way to warm up test tubes or metal samples. While I usually use them for chemistry, bringing them into a physics lesson on specific heat made the whole process incredibly smooth and secure.

Electric Pot (Amazon)

Why Electric Pots Beat Gas Burners Every Time

Traditionally, we’d use gas burners and beakers to heat metals. However, beakers can be tippy, and waiting for water to boil over a flame takes ages.

With an electric pot, you just flick the switch before class, and it keeps all the metals at a uniform temperature. Watching the metal pieces bobbing in the hot water looks just like ingredients in a simmered Oden stew. This setup allows students to come and grab their samples whenever they are ready, significantly reducing the stress on the teacher.

Measurement Time! Watching the Thermal Baton Pass

Once the metals reach a solid 100°C, they are quickly moved into a thermo-cup (an insulated container) filled with water. We then measure exactly how much the water temperature climbs.

The key concept here is the Conservation of Energy. The thermal energy lost by the hot metal is handed off directly to the cool water—it’s like a thermal relay race! By recording the temperature difference before and after the “baton pass” in a table or graph, students can plug the numbers into a formula to reveal the metal’s specific heat.

Specific Heat: The ID Card of Matter

While you might be able to guess what a metal is just by looking at it, calculating its specific heat allows you to identify its “true identity” scientifically.

For instance, the specific heat of aluminum is about 0.90 J/(g·K), while iron is roughly 0.45 J/(g·K). This means aluminum requires twice as much energy as iron to heat up! Understanding specific heat is like getting to know the unique personality of every substance you encounter.

A Few Pro-Tips for Teachers

If you’re planning to run this experiment in your classroom, here are a few tricks. First, start your prep about 20 minutes before class. If you fill the electric pot with hot water from a dispenser rather than cold tap water, you’ll reach boiling point much faster.

The experiment itself takes about 30 minutes, leaving plenty of time for data analysis within a single period. Most importantly: don’t forget the cleanup! Once finished, remove the metals immediately and dry them thoroughly with paper towels or a cloth.

Tidying up

Iron rusts incredibly fast, so leaving it wet means it might be useless for the next class. Taking care of your tools is just as much a part of being a scientist as the experiment itself. I hope this experiment helps you feel the excitement of capturing the invisible movement of “heat” through numbers!

Check out this other experiment using electric pots too:

お湯でふくらむ魔法の袋？ 沸点の違いがわかる超簡単おうち実験！！エタノールの沸点を“見て感じる”

Inquiries and Requests

Let’s make the wonders of science a part of your everyday life! I share easy-to-follow guides and tips for fun science experiments you can try at home. Feel free to explore more!

My “Science Notebook” series is now available as a book! Check it out here.

Learn more about Ken Kuwako here.

For requests regarding writing, speaking engagements, science workshops, or TV supervision, click here.
– Follow me on X (Twitter) for the latest updates!

Watch experiment videos on my Science Tips YouTube Channel!

４月のイチオシ実験！

テレビ番組・科学監修等のお知らせ

  • 4月9日（木）「THE突破ファイル」（日本テレビ ）の科学監修を行いました。夜7時〜となります。

書籍のお知らせ

  • サクセス15 ４月号にて、野球の科学について記事を執筆しました（2026/3）
  • 『大人のための高校物理復習帳』（講談社）…一般向けに日常の物理について公式を元に紐解きました。特設サイトでは実験を多数紹介しています。※増刷がかかり６刷となりました（2026/02/01） スクリーンショット 2014-07-05 0.43.51
  • 『きめる!共通テスト 物理基礎 改訂版』（学研）…　高校物理の参考書です。イラストを多くしてイメージが持てるように描きました。授業についていけない、物理が苦手、そんな生徒におすすめです。特設サイトはこちら。

講師・ショー・研究等のお知らせ

Explore

  • 楽しい実験…お子さんと一緒に夢中になれるイチオシの科学実験を多数紹介しています。また、高校物理の理解を深めるための動画教材も用意しました。
  • 理科の教材… 理科教師をバックアップ！授業の質を高め、準備を効率化するための選りすぐりの教材を紹介しています。
  • Youtube…科学実験等の動画を配信しています。
  • 科学ラジオ …科学トピックをほぼ毎日配信中！AI技術を駆使して作成した「耳で楽しむ科学」をお届けします。
  • 講演 …全国各地で実験講習会・サイエンスショー等を行っています。
  • About …「科学のネタ帳」のコンセプトや、運営者である桑子研のプロフィール・想いをまとめています。
  • お問い合わせ …実験教室のご依頼、執筆・講演の相談、科学監修等はこちらのフォームからお寄せください。
 
Categories
Science
Science

Previous article

When the Electric Hill Goes Flat!? The Magic of Capacitors Revealed in 3D Graphs (Using Grapher)
2026年3月5日
Science

Next article

Can Iron Turn Into a Magnet!? Explore the Mysterious World of Magnetic Permeability with the “Pitland” Experiment
2026年3月7日