A 19.9 gram sample of a substance begins at a temperature of 25.1 Celsius. After 471 Joules of heat are added to the sample, the final temperature is 54.7 Celsius.

Question

What is its specific heat in J/g Celsius?

Answer 1

Hi, Emily,

The specific heat is the amount of heat it takes to raise an amount of substance 1 degree. In this case the energy is in Joules (it could be calories, kJ, or other units of heat.), the amount is grams (it could be moles, kg, etc.), and the temperature is Celsius (Kelvin is also popular).

We need an answer that has the unit J/(g⁰C)

It takes 471J to raise the temperature of 19.9 grams by (54.7-25.1) ⁰C = 29.6⁰C

Just put those numbers in an arrangement that gives us the unit we are seeking:

471J/(19.9g*29.6⁰C) = 0.80 J/g⁰C

I hope this helps,

Bob