What is the specific heat of the metal?

Question

Lana is using a calorimeter to determine the specific heat of a metallic sample. She measures out 168.6 grams of her metal and heats it to 87.1 degrees Celsius. Then, she puts the sample into a calorimeter containing 12.13 grams of water at 43.0 degrees Celsius. She measures the temperature of the water in the calorimeter until the number stops changing, then records the final temperature to be 53.0 degrees Celsius. What is the specific heat of the metal? Please answer to three digits after the decimal point and include units.

Answer 1

ΔQ = Specific Heat *mass *ΔT

ΔQ= Heat absorbed or released 

specific heat = 4.184 J/g-K

mass = 12.13g

ΔT = (53.0 - 43.0)°C = 10.0°C

Find change of heat in water:

ΔQ = 4.184 J/g-K * 12.13g * 10 C

= 507.5 J

The heat absorbed by the metal = - Heat change of water = -507.5 J

Therefore, the specific heat of metal, C_metal = (-507.5 J)/(168.6 * (53.0 - 87.1) = 0.088 J/g-C