A 2.0 kg metal block at 15 ∘C15\ ^\circ\mathrm{C}15 ∘C is lowered into 0.30 kg of water at 80 ∘C80\ ^\circ\mathrm{C}80 ∘C. The water is in a lagged aluminium can of mass 0.20 kg, which is also at 80 ∘C80\ ^\circ\mathrm{C}80 ∘C at the start. The block, the water and the can all reach a final temperature of 55 ∘C55\ ^\circ\mathrm{C}55 ∘C.
| Material | Specific heat capacity / J kg−1 ∘C−1\mathrm{J\,kg^{-1}\,{}^\circ C^{-1}}Jkg−1∘C−1 |
|---|---|
| water | 4200 |
| aluminium | 900 |
Assume that no energy is transferred to the surroundings.
Calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal.
110 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 14.2 Specific heat capacity and latent heat, covering 14.2.1 Heating, temperature and changes of state, 14.2.2 Specific heat capacity and specific latent heat, 14.2.3 Specific heat capacity calculation, 14.2.4 Specific latent heat calculation, and 14.2.5 Reducing energy transfer through thermal insulation. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.