Question

100g of water (specific heat=4.184J/g*C) and 100g of a metal sample (specific heat= 0.397J/g*C) are heated from 25C to 75C. Which substance required more thermal energy to reach 75C? (Explain your reasoning). ...?

Answer 1

I believe that water would require more thermal energy in order to reach a temperature of 75°C. It is because it has a higher value of specific heat which would mean that for every change of 1 degrees celsius it requires a higher amount of energy input. Hope this answers the question.

Answer 2

Answer: the water

Step-by-step explanation:

The thermal energy required for a substance to be heated from 25 C to 75 C is given by

`Q=mC_s \Delta t`

where

m is the mass of the substance

Cs is the specific heat of the substance

`\Delta T` is the increase in temperature

- For water, we have:

`Q=(0.1 kg)(4.184 J/gC)(75C-25 C)=20.9 J`

- for the metal, we have:

`Q=(0.1 kg)(0.397 J/gC)(75C-25 C)=2.0 J`

So, we see that water requires more thermal energy, because it has a larger specific heat than the metal.