It takes 770 joules energy to raise the temperature of 50.0 g of mercury by 110°C. What is the specific heat of mercury?

1 Answer
Apr 11, 2016

The specific heat capacity of mercury is #"0.140 J·°C"^"-1""g"^"-1"#.

Explanation:

The formula for the heat absorbed by a substance is

#color(blue)(|bar(ul(color(white)(a/a) q = mcΔT color(white)(a/a)|)))" "#

where

#q# is the quantity of heat

#m# is the mass of the substance

#c# is the specific heat capacity of the material

#ΔT# is the temperature change

You can rearrange the formula to calculate the specific heat capacity:

#c = q/(mΔT)#

#c = "770 J"/"50.0 g × 110 °C" = "0.140 J·°C"^"-1""g"^"-1"#