# Problem: A student constructs a "coffee cup" calorimeter that contains 83.6 grams of water, at 19.7°C, in a double cup set up with a thermometer and a cork cover. A piece of copper with a mass of 101.7 grams was heated to a certain temperature and placed in the calorimeter. Then the calorimeter was allowed to equilibrate and the thermometer recorded a temperature of 28.3 °C after the equilibration. Determine the temperature to which the copper piece was heated initially. (The specific heat of copper is 0.385 J/g °C and the specific heat of water is 4.184 J/g °C)a. 105.1 °Cb. 85.4 °Cc. 142.0 °Cd. 29.0 °Ce. 48.5 °C

###### FREE Expert Solution

We’re being asked to determine the temperature at which the copper piece was heated initially.

We will use the heat released by the copper piece to calculate its initial temperature. Recall that heat can be calculated using the following equation:

$\overline{){\mathbf{q}}{\mathbf{=}}{\mathbf{mc}}{\mathbf{∆}}{\mathbf{T}}}$

q = heat, J

+qabsorbs heat
–qloses heat

m = mass (g)
c = specific heat capacity = J/(g·°C)
ΔT = Tf – Ti = (°C)

Based on the given system:

###### Problem Details

A student constructs a "coffee cup" calorimeter that contains 83.6 grams of water, at 19.7°C, in a double cup set up with a thermometer and a cork cover. A piece of copper with a mass of 101.7 grams was heated to a certain temperature and placed in the calorimeter. Then the calorimeter was allowed to equilibrate and the thermometer recorded a temperature of 28.3 °C after the equilibration. Determine the temperature to which the copper piece was heated initially. (The specific heat of copper is 0.385 J/g °C and the specific heat of water is 4.184 J/g °C)

a. 105.1 °C

b. 85.4 °C

c. 142.0 °C

d. 29.0 °C

e. 48.5 °C

What scientific concept do you need to know in order to solve this problem?

Our tutors have indicated that to solve this problem you will need to apply the Calorimetry concept. You can view video lessons to learn Calorimetry. Or if you need more Calorimetry practice, you can also practice Calorimetry practice problems.

What is the difficulty of this problem?

Our tutors rated the difficulty ofA student constructs a "coffee cup" calorimeter that contain...as high difficulty.

How long does this problem take to solve?

Our expert Chemistry tutor, Dasha took 8 minutes and 59 seconds to solve this problem. You can follow their steps in the video explanation above.

What professor is this problem relevant for?

Based on our data, we think this problem is relevant for Professor Michael's class at UTEP.