Ideally, when a thermometer is used to measure the temperature of an object, the

Question

Ideally, when a thermometer is used to measure the temperature of an object, the temperature of the object itself should not change. However, if a significant amount of heat flows from the object to the thermometer, the temperature will change. A thermometer has a mass of 28.0 g, a specific heat capacity of c = 815 J/(kg · C°), and a temperature of 12.0° C. It is immersed in 119 g of water, and the final temperature of the water and thermometer is 39.4° C. What was the temperature of the water before the insertion of the thermometer? (See Table 12.2 for appropriate constants.)

Explanation / Answer

Specific heat capacity of water = 4.179 J/gm C = 4179 J/Kg C

Heat lost by water = Heat gain by thermometer

Mw*Cw*dT = Mt*Ct*dT

0.119*4179*(T-39.4) = 0.028*815*(39.4-12)

T-39.4 = 625.268/497.301 = 1.257

T = 40.657 C

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