What is the specific heat of a substance if the addition of 2000 joules of heat to 10 kilograms raises its temperature by 2 degrees C?

• A. 0.01 J/kg degrees C
• B. 50 J/kg degrees C
• C. 100 J/kg degrees C
• D. 200 J/kg degrees C

Answer: (C)

To determine the specific heat of a substance, you can use the formula relating heat added, mass, specific heat, and temperature change:

[ q = m \cdot c \cdot \Delta T ]

where:

• ( q ) is the heat added (in joules),

• ( m ) is the mass of the substance (in kilograms),

• ( c ) is the specific heat capacity (in J/kg·°C),

• ( \Delta T ) is the change in temperature (in degrees Celsius).

In this problem, you have:

• ( q = 2000 ) joules,

• ( m = 10 ) kilograms,

• ( \Delta T = 2 ) degrees Celsius.

Rearranging the formula to solve for specific heat (( c )), we get:

[ c = \frac{q}{m \cdot \Delta T} ]

Substituting the known values into the equation:

[ c = \frac{2000 , \text{J}}{10 , \text{kg} \cdot 2 , \text{°C}} ]

Calculating the denominator:

[ 10 , \text{kg