Question

You are given a metal sample of weight 28.4 and asked to determine its specific heat. You add 1.25 x 104 J of heat to the sample and then measure a temperature increase of 18.0°C. What is the specific heat of the sample?

Answer 1

The specific heat of the metal is 24.5 J/g.°C.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given data

• Mass of the metal (m): 28.4 g

• Heat added (Q): 1.25 × 10⁴ J

• Change in the temperature (ΔT): 18.0°C

• Specific heat of the metal (c): to be determined

We can determine the specific heat of the metal using the following expression.

Q = c × m × ΔT

c = Q / m × ΔT

c = 1.25 × 10⁴ J / 28.4 g × 18.0°C = 24.5 J/g.°C

The specific heat of the metal is 24.5 J/g.°C.

Answer 2

`24.45 J/(kg^(\circ)C)`

Step-by-step explanation:

The heat added to the sample is related to its increase in temperature by:

`Q=m C_s \Delta T`

where

`Q=1.25 \cdot 10^4 J` is the heat added

`m=28.4 kg` is the mass of the sample

`C_s` is the specific heat

`\Delta T=18^(\circ)C` is the increase in temperature

Substituting the numbers into the equation, we find the specific heat:

`C_s=(Q)/(m \Delta T)=(1.25\cdot 10^4 J)/((28.4 kg)(18.0^(\circ)C))=24.45 J/(kg^(\circ)C)`