Heat question -- Ice cube in a cup of water....

In summary: Tfinal-0) + 3400Third problem: you need to use absolute temperatures here.Thanks Dr ClaudeIn summary, the max estimated change in temperature of the contents of the cup is 10 degrees Celsius.
  • #1
zanyzoya
Gold Member
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Homework Statement


An ice cube of mass 0.01.kg at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius is dropped into a cup containing 0.10kg of water at a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. What is the max estimated change in temperature of the contents of the cup?
SHC of water = 4200J per kg per kelvin
latent heat of fusion of ice = 340000 J per kg

Homework Equations

and attempt at a solution[/B]

heat lost by water = heat gained by ice
mwaterC ΔTwater = mice C ΔTice + mΔL

0.1 x 4200 x ΔTwater = 0.01 x 4200 ΔTice + 0.01 x 340000

420(Tfinal-15) = 42 (Tfinal-0) + 3400
420T - 6300 = 42T + 3400
T= 25 degrees
so change in temperature = 15-25 = -10 degrees celcius
This is wrong as the actual answer is 8.7 K
 
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  • #2
zanyzoya said:
T= 25 degrees
So the final temperature is higher than all initial temperatures? Doesn't make sense, right?

zanyzoya said:
heat lost by water = heat gained by ice
mwaterC ΔTwater = mice C ΔTice + mΔL
First problem: the left-hand side here doesn't correspond to "heat loss by water."

zanyzoya said:
420(Tfinal-15) = 42 (Tfinal-0) + 3400
Second problem: you have to use absolute temperatures here.
 
  • #3
Thanks Dr Claude
Re your first point, my understanding is as follows:
As the water cools down it will loose heat equal to mc delta T, also heat will by lost to surroundings and to the cup. Some of this heat which is lost by the water is given to the ice to initially cause a change in state and finally raise its temperature. Am I on the wrong lines here?

I've converted the values to kelvin and I still get the same answer?!?
 
  • #4
zanyzoya said:
As the water cools down it will loose heat equal to mc delta T, also heat will by lost to surroundings and to the cup. Some of this heat which is lost by the water is given to the ice to initially cause a change in state and finally raise its temperature. Am I on the wrong lines here?
Your approach is correct, but you have to be careful about the signs. (This is a general comment: when you get a final temperature that is higher than the initial temperature, while it should be the other way around, the first thing to check are the signs.)
 
  • #5
zanyzoya said:
... the actual answer is 8.7 K
That value looks a little high to me. Just melting the ice (ice@0C → water@0C) should take enough heat from the existing liquid water to drop its temperature below that value.
 
  • #6
gneill said:
That value looks a little high to me. Just melting the ice (ice@0C → water@0C) should take enough heat from the existing liquid water to drop its temperature below that value.
Not that the 8.7K that was asked, is the temperature change and not the final temperature, which is 6.3C.
 
  • #7
willem2 said:
Not that the 8.7K that was asked, is the temperature change and not the final temperature, which is 6.3C.
Ah. My mistake. I should really pay closer attention to these small details. Thanks :smile:
 
  • #8
zanyzoya said:
heat gained by ice
zanyzoya said:
42 (Tfinal-0)
So far so good: heat gained is proportional to the final temperature minus the initial temperature.
So for heat lost,
zanyzoya said:
heat lost by water
how should you calculate the temperature difference? Not like this:
zanyzoya said:
420(Tfinal-15)
 

1. How does an ice cube melt in a cup of water?

When an ice cube is placed in a cup of water, heat from the surrounding water molecules is transferred to the ice cube. This heat causes the ice cube to absorb energy and increase in temperature, eventually melting into liquid water.

2. Why does the temperature of the water decrease when an ice cube is added?

The ice cube absorbs energy from the surrounding water, causing the water molecules to lose heat and decrease in temperature. This is because the ice cube has a lower temperature than the water, and heat always flows from hotter objects to cooler ones.

3. How long does it take for an ice cube to melt in a cup of water?

The time it takes for an ice cube to melt in a cup of water depends on various factors, such as the size and temperature of the ice cube, the temperature of the water, and the surrounding environment. In general, smaller ice cubes will melt faster than larger ones, and warmer water will melt ice cubes faster than colder water.

4. Can the temperature of the water and ice cube ever be the same?

Yes, the temperature of the water and ice cube can be the same, but only when both have reached the same temperature after the ice cube has completely melted. This temperature is known as the equilibrium temperature and will depend on the initial temperatures of the water and ice cube.

5. Why does an ice cube float in water?

An ice cube floats in water because it is less dense than water. This means that the same volume of water will have more mass than the ice cube. The ice cube's lower density causes it to displace an amount of water equal to its own weight, making it appear to float on the surface of the water.

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