A 38.1 g sample of a metal is heated to 85.3 °C and placed into coffee cup calorimeter containing 125 g of water initially at 25.0 °C. After the temperature of the water and the metal stop changing, both are found to have a final temperature of 26.7 °C. What is the specific heat of the metal in J/(g·°C)?

Question

phi · Answer

any idea how many Joules "went into" the water ?

steve816 · Answer

Would it be 125 * 4.18 * (26.4-25) = 888.25 Joules

steve816 · Answer

Please help me :(

phi · Answer

yes, that looks good, except you should use 26.7  (not 26.4). but 888.25 is good
you have 
38.1 g  *  (85.3 - 26.7)* x = 888.25
solve for x to get the specific heat of the metal

phi · Answer

I get about 0.398  J/(g-K)

steve816 · Answer

Thanks :D

steve816 · Answer

Wait, do you mean (g-C), not (g-K)

steve816 · Answer

@phi

phi · Answer

Kelvin and C are the same sized units , but K starts at absolute zero.
you can use either

steve816 · Answer

Ok, thanks!