Question

Case 1: A 0.780-kg silver pellet with a temperature of 85 oC is added to 0.150 kg of water in a copper cup of unknown mass. The initial temperature of the water and the copper cup is 14 oC. The equilibrium temperature of the system (silver water copper cup) is measured to be 26.0 °C. Assume no heat is exchanged with the surroundings. The specific heats of silver, water and copper are: 234 J/(kg oC), 4186 J/(kg oC) and 387 J/(kg oC) , respectively. (a) Which substance releases heat

Answer 1

Answer: The silver pellet will release heat

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the case scenario, the silver pellet has a higher temperature that the system of water and copper cup and is thereby added to the system. Because of the higher kinetic energy of the molecules of silver in the silver pellet, some of energy will be released to the water and copper cup system because the system will aim to achieve thermal equilibrium.