Suppose that 25 g of each substance is initially at 27.0 °C. What is the final temperature of each substance upon absorbing 2.35 kJ of heat? c. aluminum

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 varies for different materials and is crucial for calculating temperature changes when heat is added or removed. For aluminum, the specific heat capacity is approximately 0.897 J/g°C, which means it requires this amount of energy to increase the temperature of one gram by one degree.

Heat Transfer

Heat transfer refers to the movement of thermal energy from one object or substance to another due to a temperature difference. In this scenario, the heat absorbed by aluminum will cause its temperature to rise. The relationship between heat transfer, mass, specific heat capacity, and temperature change is described by the equation Q = mcΔT, where Q is the heat added, m is the mass, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the change in temperature.

Thermal Equilibrium

Thermal equilibrium occurs when two substances in contact reach the same temperature, resulting in no net heat transfer between them. In this problem, the final temperature of aluminum after absorbing heat will be determined by its initial temperature and the amount of heat absorbed. Understanding thermal equilibrium is essential for predicting how substances will behave when they exchange heat.