An electric current heats a 225 g copper wire from 20.0 °C to 40.0 °C. How much heat was generated by the electric current? (ccopper = 0.093 cal/gm-deg)
M*C*(change in T)=
225*.093*20 = ___ calories
This assumes that none of the heat was lost to the surroundings
To find out how much heat was generated by the electric current, we can use the formula:
Q = m * c * ΔT
where:
Q is the heat generated (in calories),
m is the mass of the copper wire (in grams),
c is the specific heat capacity of copper (in cal/gm-deg), and
ΔT is the change in temperature (in degrees Celsius).
Given:
m = 225 g
c = 0.093 cal/gm-deg
ΔT = (40.0 °C - 20.0 °C) = 20.0 °C
Now we can substitute these values into the formula and calculate the heat generated:
Q = 225 g * 0.093 cal/gm-deg * 20.0 °C
Q = 420.75 cal
So, the electric current generated approximately 420.75 calories of heat.