Question

A piece of stainless steel with a mass of 1.55 g absorbs 141 J of heat when its temperaturegincreases by 178°C. What is the specific heat of the stainless steel?

Answer 1

Answer

Cp = 0.511 J/g.°C

Explanation

Given:

mass of the stainless steel = 1.55 g

heat absorbed = 141 J

Change in temperature = 178°C

Required: The specific energy of the stainless steel

Solution

Use the following formula to solve the problem:

Q=m x cp x Delta T where Q is the heat, m is the mass, Cp is the specific heat capacity and DT is the change in temperature.

We want to calculate Cp, so re-arrange the equation

Cp = Q/(m x DT)

Cp = 141 J/(1.55g x 178°C)

Cp = 0.511 J/g.°C