A student wants to determine the specific heat capacity of iron.
Figure 1 shows a piece of iron, with a fine thread tied around it, submerged in a glass beaker of boiling water.
The student leaves the piece of iron in the boiling water so that the iron block reaches a temperature of 100∘C100^{\circ}\text{C}100∘C.
The student then uses the thread to quickly transfer the piece of iron into a different beaker of cold water initially at 18∘C18^{\circ}\text{C}18∘C, as shown in Figure 2.
The student assumes that there is no heat loss to the surroundings, meaning the thermal energy gained by the water equals the thermal energy lost by the piece of iron.
The water and iron block both reach a final steady temperature of 23∘C23^{\circ}\text{C}23∘C.
The water gains 4158 J of thermal energy.
The mass of the piece of iron is 0.120 kg.
Calculate a value for the specific heat capacity of iron, using these results.
Use the equation:
ΔQ=m×c×Δθ \Delta Q = m \times c \times \Delta\theta ΔQ=m×c×ΔθHeating, specific heat and latent heat Questions
Practise Edexcel GCSE Physics Heating, specific heat and latent heat with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 81 questions, matched to the Edexcel GCSE Physics (1PH0) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.