Question

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?

Answer 1

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"`