Specific heat capacity and final temperature

AI Thread Summary
A 2.8 kg metal sample with a specific heat of 0.43 kJ/kg°C is heated to 100°C and placed in 50 g of water at 30°C, leading to a discussion about calculating the final temperature. The equation used is based on the principle that the heat lost by the metal equals the heat gained by the water. Initial calculations yielded incorrect results due to misinterpretation of specific heat units and temperature changes. The correct approach involves using the change in temperature as 100°C - Tf for the metal. The final consensus is that careful attention to significant figures and unit conversions is crucial for accurate results.
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Homework Statement



A 2.8 kg sample of a metal with a specific heat of 0.43KJ/KgC is heated to 100.0C then placed in a 50.0 g sample of water at 30.0C.* What is the final temperature of the metal and the water?


Homework Equations



heat loss by the metal = heat gain by the water

The Attempt at a Solution



I solve it this way:
2800 g x 430 J/gC x (Tf-100) = 50 g x 4.2 J/gC x (Tf - 30)

my final answer is 100 C,

please help me check what makes my answer wrong because the answer on the key is 97C...

Thanks a lot...
 
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i solve it again and i got 114 as the answer because of 0.43KJ/KgC, it will be 0.43J/gC... Please help me with this one, what makes it wrong?
 
moimoi24 said:

Homework Equations



heat loss by the metal = heat gain by the water

The Attempt at a Solution



I solve it this way:
2800 g x 0.430 J/gC x (Tf-100) = 50 g x 4.2 J/gC x (Tf - 30)

Check the red one. Is it really the heat lost by the metal?


ehild
 
ehild said:
Check the red one. Is it really the heat lost by the metal?


ehild

is it 2800 g x 0.43J/gC x 70 C?
 
You said that the heat lost by the metal is equal to the heat gained by water.
The metal cools down from 100 C° to Tf, how much heat releases in the cooling process?

ehild
 
ehild said:
You said that the heat lost by the metal is equal to the heat gained by water.
The metal cools down from 100 C° to Tf, how much heat releases in the cooling process?

ehild
i think it should be100C - tf, since there is a decrease in temperature. my answer is 90C, is that correct?
 
moimoi24 said:
i think it should be100C - tf, since there is a decrease in temperature. my answer is 90C, is that correct?

Yes, you need to calculate with 100-Tf, but I got different result. Do not drop significant digits during the calculations.

ehild
 
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