Question

In a physics lab experiment, a student immersed 205 one-cent coins (each having a mass of 3.00 g *.003kg) in boiling water. After they reached thermal equilibrium, she quickly fished them out and dropped them into 0.244 kg of water at 20.0 C in an insulated container of negligible mass.

What was the final temperature of the coins? [One-cent coins are made of a metal alloy - mostly zinc - with a specific heat capacity of 390 J/(kg*K).]


I know that:
Mass,coins=.615 kg
Mass,water=.244 kg
c,coin=390 J/(kg*K)
c,water=418.6 J/(kg*K)
Ti, coins= 100C, 373.15K
Ti, water= 20C, 293.15K

The problem asks for the Tf of the coins, but I'm still missing the Tf of the water...I'm thinking it has something to do with the equilibrium point, but I dont' know that that is!

Heat lost by the coins + heat gained by the water = 0

mass x specific heat x (Tf - Ti) + mass x specific heat x (Tf - Ti) = 0

Answer 1

answered in a duplicate post above.