Quantity of heat: A 905-g meteor impacts the earth at a speed of 1629 m/s. If all of its energy is entirely converted to heat in the meteor, what will be the resulting temperature rise of the meteor, assuming it does not melt? The specific heat for the meteor material is 472 J/kg ∙ K, which is about the same as that of iron.
A) 2810°C
B) 2,540,000°C
C) 3.10°C
D) 11,700°C

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because the temperature rise of the meteor can be calculated using the formula:ΔT = Q / (mc)where:ΔT is the temperature rise in KelvinQ is the heat energy in Joulesm is the mass of the meteor in kilogramsc is the specific heat of the meteor material in J/kg ∙ KPlugging in the given values, we get:ΔT = (1/2)mv^2 / (mc)= (1/2)(0.905 kg)(1629 m/s)^2 / (0.905 kg)(472 J/kg ∙ K)= 2810 KConverting to Celsius, we get:ΔT = 2810 K - 273.15 K = 2536.85 °CTherefore, the resulting temperature rise of the meteor is 2536.85 °C, which is closest to choice A, 2810°C.

Quantity of Heat: a 905-G Meteor Impacts the Earth at a Speed