A lab student drops a 400.0-g piece of metal at 120.0°C into a cup containing 450.0 g of water at 15.0°C.After waiting for a few minutes,the student measures that the final temperature of the system is 40.0°C.What is the specific heat of the metal,assuming that no significant heat is exchanged with the surroundings or the cup? The specific heat of water is 4186 J/kg ∙ K.
A)1470 J/kg ∙ K
B)2830 J/kg ∙ K
C)3420 J/kg ∙ K
D)3780 J/kg ∙ K
E)4280 J/kg ∙ K

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using the formula for heat transfer:
Heat lost by metal = Heat gained by water
(metal specific heat) x (metal mass) x (change in temperature) = (water specific heat) x (water mass) x (change in temperature)
Plugging in the given values and solving for the metal's specific heat:
(specific heat of metal) x 400 g x (120 - 40)°C = 4186 J/kg ∙ K x 450 g x (40 - 15)°C
(specific heat of metal) = 1470 J/kg ∙ K

A Lab Student Drops a 400