Question

Check all items that you used, either directly or indirectly, each time you did this computation.

the first law of thermodynamics (heat lost by a metal equals the heat gained by the water)

the ability of heat to flow from a hot object to a cooler one

masses for the metal and the water in the calorimeter

temperature changes for the water and the metal

the known specific heat of the water

Answer 1

All five — check each one. Briefly:

- the first law of thermodynamics (heat lost by a metal equals the heat gained by the water) — used to set q_metal + q_water = 0 (energy conservation).
- the ability of heat to flow from a hot object to a cooler one — used to assign signs and to know which body loses heat and which gains it.
- masses for the metal and the water in the calorimeter — used in q = m c ΔT for each substance.
- temperature changes for the water and the metal — ΔT values enter q = m c ΔT.
- the known specific heat of the water — the standard c_water (≈4.184 J/g·°C) is needed to compute q_water.

(If the calorimeter itself has a non‑negligible heat capacity you would also need its mass or heat capacity, but that was not listed.)