Why Is My Calculation of Heat Energy Incorrect?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the heat energy required to raise the temperature of a glass beaker containing water. The specific heat capacities and mass of both the glass and water are provided, with a target temperature increase specified.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the initial approach of calculating heat energy separately for glass and water. There are questions about unit consistency and potential rounding errors affecting the final answer.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants offering observations about unit conversion issues and potential misinterpretations of values. There is no explicit consensus on the correct approach yet, but some guidance on checking units and rounding has been provided.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of using consistent units (grams versus kilograms) and the potential impact of rounding on calculations. There is also mention of a specific expected answer that participants are trying to reconcile with their calculations.

Noawun
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Homework Statement
A glass beaker of mass 215g contains 145g of water at 18.5 degrees Celsius. If the specific heat capacity of glass is 8.4 x 10^2 J kg^-1 K^-1, how much heat energy would need to be supplied to raise the temperature of the glass and water to 98.5 degrees Celsius?
Relevant Equations
Q=mc\Delta T
At first, I tried to calculate the heat energy required by doing this:
IMG_DB51C510AD86-1.jpeg

I realized I should calculate heat energy separately instead of grouping glass and water together so I did this:

IMG_729D7A630229-1.jpeg


But the answer is supposed to be 6.29 x 10^4.

I don't know how to solve this. Can anyone help please? Thank you
 
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Noawun said:
Homework Statement:: A glass beaker of mass 215g contains 145g of water at 18.5 degrees Celsius. If the specific heat capacity of glass is 8.4 x 10^2 J kg^-1 K^-1, how much heat energy would need to be supplied to raise the temperature of the glass and water to 98.5 degrees Celsius?
Relevant Equations:: Q=mc\Delta T

At first, I tried to calculate the heat energy required by doing this:
View attachment 295998
I realized I should calculate heat energy separately instead of grouping glass and water together so I did this:

View attachment 295999

But the answer is supposed to be 6.29 x 10^4.

I don't know how to solve this. Can anyone help please? Thank you
I get 63168, rounding to 63200. I suspect someone made the error of rounding intermediate values.
 
It also looks like he's mixed units (g vers kg) which gives the 10^3 difference in his answer? (I didn't check his work in detail, though)
 
berkeman said:
It also looks like he's mixed units (g vers kg) which gives the 10^3 difference in his answer? (I didn't check his work in detail, though)
Well spotted! Looking only at the last line, I misread the handwritten exponent 7, with its continental centre line and the graph paper line at the left, as a four.
 
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