Question

A 1 kg block of copper metal is initially at a temperature of 400◦C. It is then dropped into a very large reservoir of water that has a constant temperature of 20◦C. Determine the change in entropy for the copper block, the reservoir and the universe as a result of this process. The specific heat capacities are:

Copper cV = 390 J kg−1 K−1 Water cV = 4190 J kg−1 K−1

Answer 1

To determine the change in entropy for the copper block, the reservoir, and the universe, use the formulas for change in entropy and heat transfer. Calculate the heat transferred and change in entropy for the copper block and the reservoir, and then find the overall change in entropy for the system.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the change in entropy for the copper block, the reservoir, and the universe, we can use the formula:

Change in entropy (ΔS) = Heat transferred (Q) / Temperature (T)

For the copper block, we can calculate the heat transferred using the specific heat capacity and the change in temperature:

Q = mass (m) × specific heat capacity (cV) × change in temperature (ΔT)

For the reservoir, the heat transferred is equal to the negative of the heat transferred from the copper block.

The change in entropy for the universe can be calculated by adding the change in entropy for the copper block and the reservoir:

ΔS(universe) = ΔS(copper block) + ΔS(reservoir)

Using the given values and formulas, you can calculate the specific values for each component and find the overall change in entropy for the system.