What is the initial temperature of the nickel?

Question

A sample of solid nickel is heated with an electrical coil. If 94.0 Joules of energy are added to a 14.7 gram sample and the final temperature is 37.2°C,

Answer 1

We can calculate the amount of energy gained or lost with the formula Q = m•C•ΔT, where Q is the amount of energy gained or lost, m is the mass, C is the specific heat capacity of the material, and ΔT is the change in temperature.

We know that the change is equal to the difference of the final and initial temperatures, represented as

ΔT = T_final - T_initial

Since we are solving for T_initial , we can substitute ΔT in the Q equation so that the new equation is

Q = m•C(T_final - T_initial)

C is dependent on the material and the units under consideration. We need the C which accounts for Joules, grams, and °C. We also should consider the material is solid nickel. For this answer, we will use 0.444J/g/°C as C. Fill in equation with the amounts you have.

94.0J = 14.7g•(0.444J/g/°C)•(32.7°C - T_initial)

Now solve for T_initial

That gives us a value of 18.2978°C as the initial temperature.