A slice of pizza has 500 kcal. If we could burn the pizza and use all the heat to warm a 50-L container of cold water, what would be the approximate increase in the temperature of the water? (Note: A liter of cold water weighs about 1 kg.) a. 50°C b. 5°C c. 100°C d. 10°C

Verified step by step guidance

1. First, convert the energy from kilocalories to joules. Recall that 1 kcal = 4184 joules. Therefore, 500 kcal = 500 x 4184 joules = 2092000 joules.
2. Next, use the formula for heat transfer Q = mc\Delta T, where Q is the heat energy in joules, m is the mass of the water, c is the specific heat capacity of water (approximately 4184 J/kg\degree C), and \Delta T is the change in temperature.
3. Since the mass of the water (m) is approximately equal to the volume in liters for water (50 L = 50 kg), substitute the values into the formula: 2092000 J = 50 kg x 4184 J/kg\degree C x \Delta T.
4. Solve for \Delta T (change in temperature). Rearrange the formula to \Delta T = Q / (m x c). Substituting the values gives \Delta T = 2092000 J / (50 kg x 4184 J/kg\degree C) = 10\degree C.
5. Therefore, the approximate increase in the temperature of the water would be 10\degree C, which corresponds to answer choice d.