Question

If 450.00cal of thermal energy (heat) are absorbed by 70.32g of solid copper causing its temperature to rise from 20.05ºC to 89.61ºC, then what is the specific heat of copper?

Answer 1

The specific heat of copper, when 450.00 cal of energy raises the temperature of 70.32 g of copper from 20.05ºC to 89.61ºC, is calculated to be approximately 0.387 J/gºC.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the specific heat of copper given that 450.00 cal of thermal energy are absorbed by 70.32 g of solid copper, causing its temperature to rise from 20.05ºC to 89.61ºC, you use the formula q = mcΔT, where q is the heat absorbed, m is the mass of the substance, c is the specific heat, and ΔT is the change in temperature.

First, convert calories to joules, knowing that 1 cal = 4.184 J, which gives q = 450.00 cal × 4.184 J/cal = 1882.8 J. Then, ΔT is the final temperature minus the initial temperature, so ΔT = 89.61ºC - 20.05ºC = 69.56ºC.

The specific heat c can now be found by rearranging the formula to c = q/(mΔT), and plugging in the values:

c = 1882.8 J / (70.32 g × 69.56ºC)

= 0.387 J/gºC.

Therefore, the specific heat of copper is approximately 0.387 J/gºC.