Mixing water at different temperatures

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    Mixing Water
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the problem of determining the final temperature when two bodies of water at different temperatures are mixed, specifically 1 kg of water at 10°C and 5 kg of water at 80°C. The scope includes theoretical reasoning and mathematical modeling related to heat transfer and thermodynamics.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in solving the problem and notes that taking the mean of the two temperatures is insufficient due to the differing masses.
  • Another participant suggests that the specific heat of water can be considered constant for this problem, although they acknowledge this is not entirely accurate. They provide a formula for the change in internal energy and derive a method to find the final temperature.
  • A third participant mentions that the specific heat capacity of water does not change significantly between 10°C and 80°C, and proposes integrating the heat capacity across temperature to account for changes in internal energy.
  • The second participant reiterates their explanation and concludes with a formula for the final temperature, presenting it as a weighted average based on the masses and initial temperatures of the two bodies of water.
  • The original poster expresses gratitude for the explanation and claims to have calculated the final temperature as 63.8°C, which they believe to be correct.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

While there is a general agreement on the approach to solving the problem, there are nuances regarding the assumption of constant specific heat and the method of integrating heat capacity. The discussion includes multiple viewpoints on how to handle the calculations, and no consensus is reached on the best method.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the assumptions regarding the specific heat capacity of water and its potential variation with temperature. Additionally, the mathematical steps involved in integrating heat capacity are not fully explored.

MoniMini
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Hello all,
I'm having trouble solving the given problem.

"Assuming that no heat is lost to the surrroundings, what will be the final temperature when 1 kg of water at 10°C is mixed with 5 kg of water at 80°C"

Taking the mean of the 2 fluids will not help here since their mass is different.
I don't know any other formula regarding such problems.

Thank You,
~MoniMini
 
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MoniMini said:
Hello all,
I'm having trouble solving the given problem.

"Assuming that no heat is lost to the surrroundings, what will be the final temperature when 1 kg of water at 10°C is mixed with 5 kg of water at 80°C"

Taking the mean of the 2 fluids will not help here since their mass is different.
I don't know any other formula regarding such problems.

Thank You,
~MoniMini

You can say that the specific heat of water is constant. This is not exactly right, but it will be very close. That means the change in internal energy is proportional to its change in temperature. Its also proportional to the amount of water you have. So \Delta U_1=K M_1 (T_1-T) and \Delta U_2=K M_2 (T_2-T) where \Delta U_1 is the change in internal energy of the first case (which you don't know), T_1 is the initial temperature for the first case (10°C) , T is the final temperature for the first case (what you are trying to find), and M_1 is the mass in the first case (1 kg). Also, \Delta U_2 is the change in internal energy of the second case (which you don't know), T_2 is the initial temperature for the second case (80°C) , T is the final temperature for the second case (what you are trying to find), and M_2 is the mass in the second case (5 kg). K is some constant, but don't worry about it, it cancels out. Notice that the final temperature is T in both cases, because when you mix them together, they both go to the same temperature. Finally, you know that no heat was added or subtracted, so the total change in internal energy has to be zero. That means \Delta U_1+\Delta U_2=0 Now you have three equations and three unknowns T, \Delta U_1 and \Delta U_2 and you can solve for the final temperature. T=\frac{T_1M_1+T_2M_2}{M_1+M_2} Its just a "weighted average" of the two temperatures. If both the masses were equal, you would have just the average, (T_1+T_2)/2
 
Last edited:
I found the specific heat capacity online. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/water-thermal-properties-d_162.html

The heat capacity barely changes from 10 to 80 degrees.

But if you wanted to factor the heat capacity change, you could integrate the heat capacity across temperature to get internal energy versus temperature per mass. Then add up the initial energies and this is equal to your final energy.
 
Rap said:
You can say that the specific heat of water is constant. This is not exactly right, but it will be very close. That means the change in internal energy is proportional to its change in temperature. Its also proportional to the amount of water you have. So \Delta U_1=K M_1 (T_1-T) and \Delta U_2=K M_2 (T_2-T) where \Delta U_1 is the change in internal energy of the first case (which you don't know), T_1 is the initial temperature for the first case (10°C) , T is the final temperature for the first case (what you are trying to find), and M_1 is the mass in the first case (1 kg). Also, \Delta U_2 is the change in internal energy of the second case (which you don't know), T_2 is the initial temperature for the second case (80°C) , T is the final temperature for the second case (what you are trying to find), and M_2 is the mass in the second case (5 kg). K is some constant, but don't worry about it, it cancels out. Notice that the final temperature is T in both cases, because when you mix them together, they both go to the same temperature. Finally, you know that no heat was added or subtracted, so the total change in internal energy has to be zero. That means \Delta U_1+\Delta U_2=0 Now you have three equations and three unknowns T, \Delta U_1 and \Delta U_2 and you can solve for the final temperature. T=\frac{T_1M_1+T_2M_2}{M_1+M_2} Its just a "weighted average" of the two temperatures. If both the masses were equal, you would have just the average, (T_1+T_2)/2

Thanks a TON! You explained it really well.
I got the correct anser. I don't know how to type in the mathematical symbols and all, but on paper I calculated and the result was 63.8°C which is the correct answer.
Thanks again :)

~MoniMini
 

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