Question

If 15.5 grams of aluminum, wit an initial temperature of 25.0 degrees Celsius, absorbs 155 joules of heat energy, what will be its new temperature?

What I know:
q(heat)-155J
m(mass)-15.5g
DeltaT(change in temp)-?
C(specific heat)-0.90J/gxdegreescelsius

Answer 1

Use the formula `q = mxxcxx`[T(final)-T(initial)] to find that T(final) = 309 K.

Explanation:

Congratulations, you have already identified everything that you need other than `DeltaT`! Identifying your information is one of the most important aspects of chemistry. Now, to find `DeltaT`, we must understand its definition: `DeltaT` = T(final) - T(initial).
We can now sub this into the equation to solve for T(final), knowing that T(initial) = `25^o C` = 298 K:

`q = mxxcxx`[T(final)-T(initial)]

`155 = 15.5 xx .90 xx`(T(final) - 298)

Solving for T(final), we get

T(final) = `298 + (155)/(15.5xx.90)` = 309 K