What is the heat capacity of 190g of liquid water? I came up with 794.96 but it says my sig figs are wrong? Help?????

In multiplication and division, you may not have more places than in the least precise value used in the process. You ave 3 s.f. in 190; therefore, you are allowed only 3 in the answer. Therefore, it should be rounded to 795 although I don't know how you came up with that number AND you have no units.

I used:

specific heat of 4.184 x 190g which = 794.96

Is that not the correct heat capacity?

To determine the heat capacity of an object, we can use the formula:

Heat capacity = mass × specific heat capacity

First, let's determine the specific heat capacity of water. The specific heat capacity of water is approximately 4.18 J/g°C.

Next, we will substitute the given values into the formula:

Mass = 190 g
Specific heat capacity = 4.18 J/g°C

Heat capacity = 190 g × 4.18 J/g°C = 794.2 J/°C

The answer you obtained, 794.96, is correct to three significant figures. However, since the specific heat capacity has only three significant figures (4.18), we should round our final answer to three significant figures as well:

Heat capacity = 794.2 J/°C

To calculate the heat capacity, we need to know the specific heat capacity of water. The specific heat capacity is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. For liquid water, the specific heat capacity is approximately 4.18 J/g°C.

To calculate the heat capacity of a certain amount of water, we can multiply the specific heat capacity by the mass of the water. Given that you have 190 grams of water, the heat capacity can be calculated as follows:

Heat capacity = Mass (g) × Specific heat capacity (J/g°C)
Heat capacity = 190 g × 4.18 J/g°C

Performing the calculation, we get:
Heat capacity = 793.2 J

Now let's talk about significant figures. Significant figures are a way to indicate the precision of a measurement or calculation. The general rule is that the result should have the same number of significant figures as the measurement with the fewest significant figures.

In your case, the mass of the water is given as 190 grams. Since this is a three-digit number, it implies that it has three significant figures. According to the rule, the heat capacity should also be reported with three significant figures.

Looking at your calculation, 794.96 J is actually correct because it has five significant figures. However, if we want to adhere to the three significant figures rule, we should round it to 795 J.

Therefore, the correct heat capacity of 190g of water is 795 J (to three significant figures).