Several Questions Re. Thermodynamics

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    Thermodynamics
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a thermodynamics problem involving the melting of ice in water and the calculation of the final equilibrium temperature. Participants are working through a homework question related to heat transfer, specifically focusing on the energy balance between melting ice and warming water.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant states that the energy lost by the hot water must equal the energy gained by the ice as it melts and warms up.
  • Another participant suggests a specific equation to represent the energy balance, indicating the need to rearrange and solve for the final temperature.
  • A participant expresses difficulty in achieving the correct answer despite using the provided values and equations, questioning their calculations.
  • Concerns are raised about the calculation of the mass of ice water, with a participant questioning how 9g of ice could produce 81g of ice water.
  • Another participant clarifies that the mixing of water does not need to be considered, emphasizing the importance of balancing the energy without accounting for the mass of mixed water.
  • Participants discuss the specific heat and latent heat values to be used in the calculations, with some providing corrections to earlier claims.
  • One participant inquires about whether to continue posting additional questions in the same thread or to create new threads for each question.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on the correct approach to the problem, as participants express differing views on the calculations and the interpretation of the mass of ice water. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on the methodology.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working with specific values for latent heat and specific heat, but there are indications of confusion regarding the mass calculations and the application of energy balance equations. Some assumptions about the system's behavior and the treatment of the ice and water are not fully clarified.

Who May Find This Useful

Students studying thermodynamics, particularly those dealing with heat transfer problems involving phase changes and energy balance calculations.

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I'm going to post one or a few questions from a recent chemistry test on which the professor has offered extra credit if we correct the entire test. He has given us the answers to the questions but not the solutions. I have been working on the following question in particular with a few friends for almost two hours and we just can't seem to get the right answer but always very close. The answer is 35.6 deg. C.

Homework Statement



An ice cube at 0 degrees C weighing 9.0 g is dropped into an insulated vessel containging 72 g of water at 50 degrees C. What is the final temperature of the water after the ice has melted and a constant temperature has been reacher? The latent heat of fusion of ice is 6.01 kJ/mol, the molar heat capacity of water is 75.4 J/mol K.

Homework Equations



nC[tex]\Delta[/tex]T = -nC[tex]\Delta[/tex]T
mC[tex]\Delta[/tex]T = -mC[tex]\Delta[/tex]T


The Attempt at a Solution



Like I said, we have tried many different approaches but the basic reasoning behind all of them is that whatever heat the ice gains has to be lost by the water, but the once the system reaches equilibrium, the amount of heat lost will equal the amount of heat gained. I guess the main question is when to use the latent heat of fusion or if at all. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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You seem to have the correct idea.
The energy lost by the ice melting and the resulting water heating is equal to the energy lost by the hot water.
So if T is the final temperature (in centigrade)
mass_ice * latent heat ice + mass_ice_water * specific heat * T = mass_water * specific heat * (50-T)

But the numbers in, rearrange and solve for T
 
mgb_phys said:
You seem to have the correct idea.
The energy lost by the ice melting and the resulting water heating is equal to the energy lost by the hot water.
So if T is the final temperature (in centigrade)
mass_ice * latent heat ice + mass_ice_water * specific heat * T = mass_water * specific heat * (50-T)

But the numbers in, rearrange and solve for T

I've plugged in most conceivable numbers for the values you listed above and each time I get close but never the right answer. For mass of ice, 9g, for latent heat of ice, I used the value listed but in joules, for mass of icewater I used 81g, for specific heat I used 4.18, for mass of water I used 72g and the same specific heat as above. Am I just missing something?
 
How does 9g of ice produce 81g of ice water?
Perhaps I can make it a little clearer:

mass_ice * latent heat ice + mass_ice_water * specific heat * T = mass_HOT_water * specific heat * (50-T)
 
mgb_phys said:
How does 9g of ice produce 81g of ice water?
Perhaps I can make it a little clearer:

mass_ice * latent heat ice + mass_ice_water * specific heat * T = mass_HOT_water * specific heat * (50-T)

I'm not quite sure what you mean. I added the mass of ice and mass of water to get the value for "mass_ice_water." Here's the equation I used:

9.0g * (6.01E-3 J/mol) * (1 mol ice / 18.02g) + (81 g ice & water) * (4.18 J / g*K) * T = 72g * (4.18 J / g*K) * (323.15K - T)
 
Yes I thought that was what you were doing - it's wrong.
You don't need to consider the water mixing, the problem would work just as well if the ice was in a plastic bag when it was put in the warm water.
You are only concerned about where the energy goes - so you need to balance the water at 0deg rising to the final T and the hot water cooling to T.

9g * 6.01 kJ/9g + 9g * 75.4 J/9g * T = 72g * 75.4 J/9g * (50 - T)
 
mgb_phys said:
Yes I thought that was what you were doing - it's wrong.
You don't need to consider the water mixing, the problem would work just as well if the ice was in a plastic bag when it was put in the warm water.
You are only concerned about where the energy goes - so you need to balance the water at 0deg rising to the final T and the hot water cooling to T.

9g * 6.01 kJ/9g + 9g * 75.4 J/9g * T = 72g * 75.4 J/9g * (50 - T)

Awesome, thank you. I have a few more questions about more or less the same thing, should I post again in this thread of make a new one for each questions? It looks like there's only 2 more.
 
Post in new threads, more people are likely to reply - but make an attempt at answering them!
 
Last edited:

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