Final answer:
The equilibrium temperature of the tin-water mixture is found by setting the heat lost by the tin equal to the heat gained by the water, using the specific heat capacities and the formula for heat transfer, and solving for the equilibrium temperature.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves finding the final equilibrium temperature of a tin-water mixture, using principles of heat transfer and specific heat capacities. According to the principle of conservation of energy, the heat lost by the tin will equal the heat gained by the water when they reach equilibrium. We use the formula mcΔT, where m is mass, c is specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the change in temperature.
To find the equilibrium temperature Teq, we set the heat lost by tin equal to the heat gained by water and solve for Teq.
Let mSn = 0.371 kg (mass of tin), cSn = 230 J/kg·°C (specific heat of tin), Ti,Sn = 96.1°C (initial temperature of tin), mH2O = 0.21 kg (mass of water), cH2O = 4186 J/kg·°C (specific heat of water), and Ti,H2O = 11.4°C (initial temperature of water).
The equation for the heat loss/gain is:
mSncSn(Teq - Ti,Sn) = mH2OcH2O(Ti,H2O - Teq)
Solving this equation for Teq:
Teq = [(mSncSnTi,Sn) + (mH2OcH2OTi,H2O)] / [(mSncSn) + (mH2OcH2O)]
After plugging in the given values and solving the equation, we can find the final equilibrium temperature of the mixture.