Calculating Temperature Change with Ice Cube in Coffee

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the temperature change when an ice cube is placed in a thermos of coffee. The subject area includes thermodynamics and heat transfer principles, particularly focusing on phase changes and energy conservation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the initial equation for heat transfer and question the inclusion of the heat required to melt the ice. There is confusion regarding the temperature of the ice and its phase change at 0°C, as well as how to approach the problem if the ice were at a different temperature.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with each other's ideas, with some providing clarifications on the necessary terms in the heat transfer equation. There is a recognition of the complexity involved in the problem, particularly regarding the sequence of heat exchanges and the conditions under which the ice changes phase.

Contextual Notes

There is an assumption that the ice starts at 0°C, and participants are considering how this affects the calculations. The discussion also touches on the implications of starting with ice at a lower temperature, indicating that different scenarios may require different approaches to the heat transfer calculations.

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I have a question involving putting an ice cube in a thermos of coffee. I used c_{ice}m_{ice}(T_f-T_i) + c_{coffee}m_{coffee}(T_f-T_i)=0. Is this right? If so wouldn't the temperatures of the ice remain constant until it is all gone?It says that the ice is at 0'C.
 
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The approach is correct, but there is a term that is missing in your equation: the heat needed to completely melt the ice cube.
 
How do I find this..If say the ice was at -10'C then i could do this by using Tf=0..But since it is already at its melting point, I am kinda confused
 
waiitt...Q=Lm?
 
Heat Lost = Heat Gained, the heat lost by the coffee melts the ice first (mL) and then raises it to a higher temperature (mcdeltaT)
 
So my equation is going to become L_Fm + c_{ice}m_{ice}(T_f-T_i) + c_{coffee}m_{coffee}(T_f-T_i)=0? and then will c_{ice}m_{ice}(T_f-T_i) become zero since the ice isn't going to change Temp until it has changed phases
 
It depends on the numbers. If the final temperature is above 0 degrees, then there was enough heat to both melt the ice and raise the temperature of the new water above 0 degrees

Something else to point out is that the problem wouldn't be simpler if the ice started out at -10 degrees. You would need to determine (in this order) the heat used to raise the temperature to 0, the heat to melt the ice, and the heat to raise the water temperature above 0
 

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