Questions: In the laboratory a student finds that it takes 129 Joules to increase the temperature of 12.9 grams of solid sulfur from 23.6 to 38.1 degrees Celsius. The specific heat of sulfur calculated from her data is J / g°C.

Solution Steps

The problem provides the amount of energy (in Joules) required to increase the temperature of a given mass of sulfur. We need to calculate the specific heat capacity of sulfur using this data.

The formula to calculate the specific heat capacity (\(c\)) is:

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

where:

• \(Q\) is the heat energy added (in Joules),
• \(m\) is the mass of the substance (in grams),
• \(\Delta T\) is the change in temperature (in degrees Celsius).

The change in temperature (\(\Delta T\)) is the final temperature minus the initial temperature:

\[ \Delta T = 38.1^\circ \text{C} - 23.6^\circ \text{C} = 14.5^\circ \text{C} \]

Substitute the given values into the formula:

• \(Q = 129 \, \text{J}\)
• \(m = 12.9 \, \text{g}\)
• \(\Delta T = 14.5^\circ \text{C}\)

\[ c = \frac{129 \, \text{J}}{12.9 \, \text{g} \times 14.5^\circ \text{C}} \]

Calculate the specific heat capacity:

\[ c = \frac{129}{12.9 \times 14.5} = \frac{129}{187.05} \approx 0.6897 \, \text{J/g}^\circ \text{C} \]

Final Answer