Assuming that Coca-Cola has the saem specific heat as water [4.18 J/(g C)], calculate the amount of heat in kilojoules transferred when one can (about 350 g) is cooled from 25 C to 3 C.

Key Concepts

Specific Heat Capacity

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. It is a crucial property that determines how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a material. In this case, Coca-Cola is assumed to have the same specific heat as water, which is 4.18 J/(g·°C), allowing for straightforward calculations of heat transfer.

Heat Transfer Calculation

The heat transfer (q) can be calculated using the formula q = m × c × ΔT, where m is the mass of the substance, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the change in temperature. This formula allows us to quantify the energy exchanged during temperature changes, which is essential for solving the problem of cooling Coca-Cola from 25°C to 3°C.

Units of Energy

Energy is often measured in joules (J) or kilojoules (kJ), where 1 kJ equals 1000 J. Understanding these units is important for converting the calculated heat transfer into the desired format. In this problem, the final answer should be expressed in kilojoules, necessitating a conversion from joules if the calculation yields a value in that unit.