To measure the heat capacity of an object, all you usually have to do is put it in thermal contact with another object whose heat capacity you know. As an example, suppose that a chunk of metal is immersed in boiling water (100°C), then is quickly transferred into a Styrofoam cup containing 250 g of water at 20°C. After a minute or so, the temperature of the contents of the cup is 24°C. Assume that during this time no significant energy is transferred between the contents of the cup and the surroundings. The heat capacity of the cup itself is negligible. What is the heat capacity of this chunk of metal?
Energy transfer
The flow of energy from one region to another region is referred to as energy transfer. Since energy is quantitative; it must be transferred to a body or a material to work or to heat the system.
Molar Specific Heat
Heat capacity is the amount of heat energy absorbed or released by a chemical substance per the change in temperature of that substance. The change in heat is also called enthalpy. The SI unit of heat capacity is Joules per Kelvin, which is (J K-1)
Thermal Properties of Matter
Thermal energy is described as one of the form of heat energy which flows from one body of higher temperature to the other with the lower temperature when these two bodies are placed in contact to each other. Heat is described as the form of energy which is transferred between the two systems or in between the systems and their surrounding by the virtue of difference in temperature. Calorimetry is that branch of science which helps in measuring the changes which are taking place in the heat energy of a given body.
To measure the heat capacity of an object, all you usually have to do is put it in thermal contact with another object whose heat capacity you know. As an example, suppose that a chunk of metal is immersed in boiling water (100°C), then is quickly transferred into a Styrofoam cup containing 250 g of water at 20°C. After a minute or so, the temperature of the contents of the cup is 24°C. Assume that during this time no significant energy is transferred between the contents of the cup and the surroundings. The heat capacity of the cup itself is negligible.
What is the heat capacity of this chunk of metal?
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