Ninety kilojoules of heat were added to a 2.0-kg piece of wood whose temperture then rose from 20 degrees Celsius to 48 degrees Celcius. What was the specific heat of the wood?
Review the definition of specific heat.
Spec. Ht. = (heat added)/[(mass)*(deltaT)]
DeltaT is the temperature increase, which in your case is 28 C.
Perform that calculation to obtain the answer.
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To find the specific heat of the wood, we can use the formula:
Q = mcΔT
Where:
Q is the heat energy added to the wood (in joules)
m is the mass of the wood (in kg)
c is the specific heat capacity of the wood (in J/kg·°C)
ΔT is the change in temperature (in °C)
In this case, we are given:
Q = 90 kJ = 90,000 J
m = 2.0 kg
ΔT = 48°C - 20°C = 28°C
Now, we can rearrange the formula to solve for c:
c = Q / (m ΔT)
Substituting the given values:
c = 90,000 J / (2.0 kg × 28°C)
c ≈ 3214.286 J/kg·°C
Therefore, the specific heat of the wood is approximately 3214.286 J/kg·°C