Question

Three metals, iron, copper, and gold, have heat capacities of 0.450 J/goC, 0.385 J/goC and 0.129 J/goC, respectively. A 10g sample of each metal was heated in a water bath at 100oC. One of these metals will be placed in a Styrofoam cup containing 50.0 mL of water at 25oC. Which metal should be placed in the cup if we want to observe the lowest temperature change in the water?

Answers

The water will be heated by each metal. How much.
q = mass H2O x specific heat H2O x delta T.
Therefore for dT to be the smallest, you want q to be the smallest
How much will the metal change?
q = mass metal x specific heat metal x (Tfinal-Tinitial)
q = 10g x specific heat metal x (Tfinal - 100). If you want q to be the smallest, what does that say about specific heat, all other things being constant?

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