Question

1. The specific heat capacity of water is about 10 times that of iron. A student adds M kilograms of water to an iron pot that also has mass M kilograms. Both the pot and the water are at the same temperature. Then

the student places a hot flame under the pot. How will the temperature of the pot and water change over time?

Answer 1

The temperature of the pot and water will change over time in the following way:

The water and pot will both be at their initial temperatures. Heat will start to pass from the flame to the pot as soon as it touches the bottom of the iron pot, which is heated.

The iron pot's temperature will start to increase as heat is transferred to it. Iron will heat up more quickly than water, though, due to iron's lower specific heat capacity.

As heat is transferred to the iron pot, its temperature will begin to rise. However, because iron has a lower specific heat capacity than water, it will heat up faster than the water.

As the iron pot heats up, heat will begin to transfer from the pot to the water. Because water has a higher specific heat capacity than iron, it will absorb more heat than the pot, which will slow down the rate of temperature increase in the pot.

As the temperature of the pot continues to rise, the temperature of the water will also start to rise. However, the water will absorb more heat than the pot, so it will heat up more slowly.

Eventually, the temperature of the pot and water will reach a point where the rate of heat transfer from the pot to the water is equal to the rate of heat transfer from the flame to the pot. At this point, the temperature of the pot and water will stop rising and will remain at a constant temperature.

Finally, the pot and water will reach an equilibrium temperature, which will be higher than the initial temperature of the pot and water.