If i give you a battery with no markings and tell you to find the voltage, you won't know which side to plug into positive and which side to plug into negative. You just have to guess, and if the emf is negative it means you plugged the anode into the positive side .
The formula you have Q = mC (Tf - Ti) only works if the heat capacity is constant throughout the range of temperatures. It might be close enough approximation in this case, if that's what your professor told you then use that equation. But in a general snse, you have to integrate from Tf to Ti...
There are 3 degrees of translational freedom, 2 of rotational freedom, 1 degree of vibrational freedom. The vibrational freedom is not accessible at room temperature, at higher temperatures it is but let's stick with room temperature.
So that's 5 degrees of freedom per molecule. So if you have...
First thing, I assume you mean calcium and not cadmium. Everything else you said is right: Calcium will be oxidized, electrons will travel to the zinc solution, zinc will be reduced. The calcium cell is the anode, the zinc cell is the cathode.
Heres the reason you are confused: When you plug...