Question

If 1495 j of heat is needed to raise the temperature of a 339 g sample of a metal from 55.0°c to 66.0°c, what is the specific heat capacity of the metal

Answer 1

Specific heat of a substance can be calculated using the equation q=mst, where “q” is heat applied to the system, “m” is the mass of the substance, “s” is the specific heat, and “t” is the change in temperature. In this case,

q=mst

(1495 J)=(339 g)(s)(+11 degrees C)

s=0.401 J/g•degrees C.

The specific heat of this substance is 0.401 J/g•degrees C). However, the problem is asking for the heat capacity of the metal, which is defined as C=ms using the same definitions as above. In this case, the heat capacity of the metal works out to be 135.91 J/g.

Hope this helps!