Science 10
Specific Heat Practice Questions
Complete these problems using the GRASP method. Do all work IN PENCIL on
a separate sheet of paper.
Refer to the textbook (page 427) for specific heat capacity values of each
material.
1. A 1600 g block of iron is initially 155ºC. How much energy will it release
as it cools to 25 ºC? (c=0.45J/g ºC)
2. How many joules of heat are needed to heat 100.0g of water from 22 ºC to
the boiling point?
3. How many joules of heat are needed to raise the temperature of 20.5 g of
tin from 30 ºC to 230 ºC? (c= 0.23J/g ºC)
4. Which takes more energy? Heat a 500 g brick from 100 ºC to 200 ºC OR
heat 500g of seawater from 4 ºC to 32 ºC.
5. If it takes 24.5J to heat 1.05 g of a substance from 25 ºC to 49, what is the
specific heat capacity of the substance?
6. Calculate the specific heat for aluminum if 16 500J of energy is needed to
raise the temperature of 150 g of aluminum from 20 ºC to 145.
7. A piece of glass with a mass of 65g loses 840J as it cools from 46 ºC to
20ºC. What is the specific heat capacity of glass?
8. If 24 500J of heat is added to 125g of water initially at 35 ºC…what will the
final temperature of the water be?
9. 160g of mercury (c = 0.14J/g ºC) is initially at 85 ºC. as it cools, it loses
1500J of energy. What is the final temperature?
Challenge Question (not required)
200 g of cool water is poured into a glass. As a result, the 25 ºC glass, with a
mass of 150g, cooled to 6ºC. (c = 0.5J/g ºC) If the heat gained by the water is
equal to the heat lost by the glass, what was the initial temperature of the water?
Science 10
Specific Heat Practice Questions
Check your work:
1. The brick releases 93 600 J.
2. It takes 32 604J to heat the water
3. It takes 943J to raise the temperature of the tin.
4. It takes more energy to heat 500g of seawater by
28 ºC (54460J) than it does to heat a 500g brick
by 100 ºC (42000J).
5. The specific heat capacity of the substance is
0.97J/g ºC.
6. The specific heat capacity of the aluminum is
0.88J/g ºC.
7. The specific heat capacity of the glass is
0.497J/g ºC.
8. The final temperature of the water will be 81.9 ºC.
9. The final temperature of the cooled mercury is
18ºC
Challenge question:
The initial temperature of the water was 4.3 ºC.