Question

A 4.0 g sample of iron was heated from 0°C to 20°C. It absorbed 35.2 J of energy as heat. What is the specific heat of this piece of iron?

Answer 1

The specific heat capacity of the iron is `"0.44 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)`

`ΔT = "(20 - 0) °C" = "20 °C"`

`c = "35.2 J"/"4.0 g × 20 °C" = "0.44 J·°C"^"-1""g"^"-1"`