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When working out the energy in food, the equation is:

Energy of food=mass of water x temperature change of water x 4.2

why do you multiply by 4.2?

User Mio
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Answer: The specific heat capacity of water is 4.2 J/g C°

Explanation: The equation you provided is actually for calculating the amount of heat transferred to or from water when its temperature changes. This equation is commonly known as the specific heat capacity equation and can be expressed as follows:

Q = mcΔT

Where Q is the amount of heat transferred, m is the mass of the substance (in this case, water), c is the specific heat capacity of the substance (which is 4.2 J/g°C for water), and ΔT is the change in temperature of the substance.

To calculate the energy content of food, a different equation is used, which is known as the calorimetry equation. This equation can be expressed as follows:

Energy content of food = heat gained by water / mass of food

In this equation, the heat gained by water is the amount of heat transferred to the water when the food is burned in a calorimeter, and the mass of the food is the mass of the food sample that was burned. The energy content of the food is typically expressed in units of joules or calories.

User Hojat Modaresi
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