Final answer:
When the mass of the nickel is cut in half, the temperature change is also halved.
Step-by-step explanation:
The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 degree Celsius. In this case, we have 50 g of nickel with a specific heat capacity of 0.44 J/g °C, added to water. If the mass of the nickel is cut in half, the new mass would be 25 g.
The temperature change is determined by the amount of heat exchanged, which is given by the equation: q = mcΔT, where q is the heat energy, m is the mass, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the temperature change.
Since the heat capacity of the water is much greater than that of the nickel, we can assume that the heat exchange is only happening between the water and the nickel. Therefore, when the mass is cut in half, the amount of heat exchanged will also be halved. As a result, the temperature change will also be halved. So the correct answer is d) The temperature change is halved.