Amount of of heat required for different materials to heat.

In summary, the speaker is new to a thermodynamics forum and is asking for help calculating the amount of heat required to change the temperature of an iron bar and sand from 25 deg C to 120 deg C. They mention using the formula Q= m*c*ΔT and are unsure if there are any other considerations to be made since the materials are stored in steel tanks. They also provide the specific heats for iron and sand and ask for suggestions on how to proceed. Another speaker suggests using a known amount of water and tracking its temperature when combined with the iron/sand to calculate the heat capacity. This method assumes that heat capacity does not change with temperature.
  • #1
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Hi I am new to this Forum as well as thermodynamics.

I need to find the amount of heat required to change the temperature of two given materials (iron bar and sand), from 25 deg C to 120 deg C. I have two steel tanks, one for holding each material. Both the tanks have the same dimensions (1m, 1m 3m). I basically need to compare the amounts of heat required for both.

I know that it requires mass and specific gravity of a material to compute the amount of heat along with the temperature difference and the formula is Q= m*c*ΔT

I am not sure if it's just this or it has more calculations involved as the two materials are stored in steel tanks and hence if there are any losses or any other considerations to be made. I have found out the specific heats for both iron and sand to be 0.11 and 0.19 respectively.

Please do help me out with any suggestion or idea as to how to go about it.

Thank you.
 
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  • #2
Get a known amount of water (say 1kg), heat it to 100 C, then combine it with an equal amount of the sand/iron. Track the temperature of the water until it stops changing.

If you assume the only heat transfer is between the iron/snad and the water, you can calculate the heat capacity by setting the heat transfer on each side equal to each other.

Cwater*deltaTwater = Csand*deltaTsand

You know the starting and ending temperatures, and you know the Cwater (4.18 J/g*K), so you can solve for Csand.

This assumes that heat capacity does not change with temperature.
 

1. What is the definition of specific heat?

Specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius.

2. How does the specific heat of a material affect its ability to heat up?

The higher the specific heat of a material, the more heat it will require to raise its temperature. This means that materials with higher specific heats will heat up more slowly compared to materials with lower specific heats.

3. What factors can affect the amount of heat required for a material to heat up?

The specific heat of a material is determined by its chemical composition and physical properties, such as its density and molecular structure. Other factors that can affect the amount of heat required for a material to heat up include its initial temperature, the amount of material being heated, and the rate of heat transfer.

4. How do different materials compare in terms of their specific heats?

Different materials have different specific heats, which can vary significantly. For example, water has a relatively high specific heat of 4.18 J/g°C, while metals like iron have a much lower specific heat of 0.45 J/g°C. This means that it takes much more heat to raise the temperature of water compared to iron.

5. Why is it important to understand the specific heat of materials?

Understanding the specific heat of materials is important for various scientific and practical purposes. It helps in designing and selecting materials for specific applications, predicting temperature changes in systems, and understanding heat transfer processes. It also plays a crucial role in industries such as engineering, construction, and materials science.

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