Specific heat
A large factor in the magnitude of the specific heat of a material lies at the molecular level in the energetic :en:Degrees of freedom (physics and chemistry) degrees of freedomavailable to the material in the phase (solid, liquid or gas) in which it is found. Energetic degrees of freedom are of four types: translation, rotation, vibration and electronic. A minimum amount of energy is needed to reach each degree of freedom. Therefore, the amount of energy that can be stored in a substance depends on the type and number of the energetic degrees of freedom that contribute to the substance at a given temperature. Liquids generally have more low energy modes and more energetic degrees of freedom than solids and most gases. This broader range of possibilities within the degrees of freedom typically generates larger specific heats for liquid substances than for solids or gases. This trend can be seen in the :en:Heat capacity#Table of specific heat capacities Table of specific heat capacitiesand by comparing liquid water to solid water (ice), copper, tin, oxygen, and graphite.