Answer:
The specific heat of the unknown material is 131.750 joules per kilogram-degree Celsius.
Explanation:
Let suppose that sphere is cooled down at steady state, then we can estimate the rate of heat transfer ([tex]\dot Q[/tex]), measured in watts, that is, joules per second, by the following formula:
[tex]\dot Q = m\cdot c\cdot \frac{T_{f}-T_{o}}{\Delta t}[/tex] (1)
Where:
[tex]m[/tex] - Mass of the sphere, measured in kilograms.
[tex]c[/tex] - Specific heat of the material, measured in joules per kilogram-degree Celsius.
[tex]T_{o}[/tex], [tex]T_{f}[/tex] - Initial and final temperatures of the sphere, measured in degrees Celsius.
[tex]\Delta t[/tex] - Time, measured in seconds.
In addition, we assume that both spheres experiment the same heat transfer rate, then we have the following identity:
[tex]\frac{m_{I}\cdot c_{I}}{\Delta t_{I}} = \frac{m_{X}\cdot c_{X}}{\Delta t_{X}}[/tex] (2)
Where:
[tex]m_{I}[/tex], [tex]m_{X}[/tex] - Masses of the iron and unknown spheres, measured in kilograms.
[tex]\Delta t_{I}[/tex], [tex]\Delta t_{X}[/tex] - Times of the iron and unknown spheres, measured in seconds.
[tex]c_{I}[/tex], [tex]c_{X}[/tex] - Specific heats of the iron and unknown materials, measured in joules per kilogram-degree Celsius.
[tex]c_{X} = \left(\frac{\Delta t_{X}}{\Delta t_{I}}\right)\cdot \left(\frac{m_{I}}{m_{X}} \right) \cdot c_{I}[/tex]
If we know that [tex]\Delta t_{I} = 6.35\,s[/tex], [tex]\Delta t_{X} = 4.59\,s[/tex], [tex]m_{I} = 0.515\,kg[/tex], [tex]m_{X} = 1.263\,kg[/tex] and [tex]c_{I} = 447\,\frac{J}{kg\cdot ^{\circ}C}[/tex], then the specific heat of the unknown material is:
[tex]c_{X} = \left(\frac{4.59\,s}{6.35\,s} \right)\cdot \left(\frac{0.515\,kg}{1.263\,kg} \right)\cdot \left(447\,\frac{J}{kg\cdot ^{\circ}C} \right)[/tex]
[tex]c_{X} = 131.750\,\frac{J}{kg\cdot ^{\circ}C}[/tex]
Then, the specific heat of the unknown material is 131.750 joules per kilogram-degree Celsius.
