Question

Peter is heating water on the stove to boil eggs for a picnic. How much heat is required to raise the temperature of his 10 kg vat of water from 20°C to 100°C?

Answer 1

The specific heat capacity of water is 4.184 J/g°C, and we need to find the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 10 kg (or 10,000 g) of water from 20°C to 100°C.

The formula for calculating the amount of heat required is:

Q = m * c * ΔT

where:

Q = heat energy (in Joules)

m = mass (in grams)

c = specific heat capacity (in J/g°C)

ΔT = change in temperature (in °C)

We can start by calculating the change in temperature:

ΔT = 100°C - 20°C = 80°C

Then, we can plug in the values and solve for Q:

Q = 10,000 g * 4.184 J/g°C * 80°C

Q = 3,347,200 J

Therefore, Peter needs 3,347,200 Joules of heat to raise the temperature of his 10 kg vat of water from 20°C to 100°C.