Someone me specific heat capacity?

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To calculate the specific heat capacity of a 50-gram piece of metal that raises the temperature of 400 grams of water from 20°C to 22°C, the heat lost by the metal equals the heat gained by the water. The specific heat capacity of water is 4.18 kJ/kgK, but it can also be expressed as 1 cal/g°C, depending on the units used, as long as they are consistent. The temperature change for both the metal and water is the same, which is 2 degrees Celsius. Understanding the relationship between heat transfer and temperature change is crucial for solving this problem. Proper unit consistency is essential for accurate calculations.
Dmitri10
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"What is the specific heat capacity of a 50-gram piece of 100 degree C metal that will change 400 grams of 20 degrees C water to 22 degrees C?

Could someone please explain to me how to do this problem? I have to figure it out on my own because my teacher is no help at all.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Dmitri10 said:
"What is the specific heat capacity of a 50-gram piece of 100 degree C metal that will change 400 grams of 20 degrees C water to 22 degrees C?

Could someone please explain to me how to do this problem? I have to figure it out on my own because my teacher is no help at all.

Thanks in advance.

The heat lost by the metal is equal to the heat gained by the water.

cwater=4.18 kJ/kgK
 
Okay, thank you. That leads me to another question, perhaps a silly one. How do I know when to use the 4.18 value instead of 1 cal/gC for water's specific heat capacity?
 
And... since the metal caused the water's temperature to increase by 2 degrees, does the metal's temperature decrease by 2 degrees?
 
Dmitri10 said:
Okay, thank you. That leads me to another question, perhaps a silly one. How do I know when to use the 4.18 value instead of 1 cal/gC for water's specific heat capacity?

it does not matter which one you use, you just need to be consistent with the units.

For example, if you just 4.18 kJ/kgK, you need mass to be in kg and temperature to be in K.

similarly for 1cal/gC, you need mass to be in grams (g) and temperature in C
 
Okay. That's what I presumed; that it didn't matter as long as units were consistent. Thank you for your help, though.

Hopefully my last question: is the change in temperature for the metal 2 degrees?
 
Dmitri10 said:
Okay. That's what I presumed; that it didn't matter as long as units were consistent. Thank you for your help, though.

Hopefully my last question: is the change in temperature for the metal 2 degrees?

I think it should be that the metal and water would have the same final temperature.
 
Okay. I cannot believe I didn't realize that before I asked. Haha how embarrassing... anyway, thank you very much for your help.
 

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