Calculating Ice Cube Mass for Coffee Cooling - Question and Solution

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the mass of an ice cube required to cool a 300 mL cup of coffee from 90 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius. It is established that the specific heat of coffee can be approximated as that of liquid water. The solution must account for both the latent heat of melting ice and the specific heat of ice as it warms to 0 degrees Celsius before melting.

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Homework Statement


Your 300 mL cup of coffee is too hot to drink when served at 90 degrees C. What is the mass of an ice cube, taken from a -20 degree C freezer, that will cool your coffee to 60 degrees C?


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The Attempt at a Solution



I'm pretty sure I can do this problem, but the only thing I am unsure of is what the specific heat of the coffee is. Should I assume that is the same as that of liquid water? Thanks
 
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Yes - there isn't much coffee in coffee and adding small amounts of solutes doesn't change the specific heat much, it does have a large effecton freezing/boiling points.

Remember to include the latent heat of the ice melting as well as the specific heat of ice heating upto 0!
 

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