Listening+to+Others+with+Understanding+and+Empathy

= ****Q=cm ∆T **** =

(Heat added = specific heat x mass x change in temperature)

When we learned about specific heat, I didn't read the packet very carefully. I thought I knew by heart that the specific heat of water was 4.178 joule/gram celsius. Knowing the specific heat of water is essential to chemistry because it is so commonly used.

My classmate asked me what the specific heat of water was and blurted out "4.178". Another classmate looked at me and told me that I was wrong. I thought to myself, "there's no way that I'm wrong! I read it in the packet and I learned it in 10th grade!" But, I was wrong. My classmate showed me in the packet that it says that the specific heat of water is actually 4.186 joule/gram celsius.

From this experience, I learned to listen to others and not just my own thoughts. It's good that I listened to this person because I would have continued to answer my questions incorrectly if the specific heat was not given in a question == I even highlighted and CIRCLED what the specific heat of water was! I was very careless, and relied on the fact that I learned this already.