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

1 Answer
Jan 19, 2018

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