College

If a cup of water is at 4.5 degrees Celsius and another cup is at 38.6 degrees Celsius, and they are mixed, what would be their equilibrium temperature?

Answer :

Answer:

The equilibrium temperature of the mixture would be somewhere between 4.5 degrees Celsius and 38.6 degrees Celsius, closer to 38.6 degrees Celsius because the warmer water has more energy and will transfer that energy to the cooler water. The exact temperature of the equilibrium would depend on the specific amounts of water in each cup and the initial temperatures of the cups

Answer:

The equilibrium temperature when the cups are mixed would be approximately 27.23 degrees Celsius.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the equilibrium temperature, we need to calculate the weighted average of the temperatures based on the amount of water in each cup.

Let's assume the first cup contains 100 mL of water and the second cup contains 200 mL of water.

The total amount of water in the cups is 100 mL + 200 mL = 300 mL.

Using the equation:

Equilibrium temperature = (mass of cup 1 * temperature of cup 1 + mass of cup 2 * temperature of cup 2) / total mass

Mass of cup 1 = 100 mL = 100 g (since the density of water is approximately 1 g/mL)

Temperature of cup 1 = 4.5 degrees Celsius

Mass of cup 2 = 200 mL = 200 g

Temperature of cup 2 = 38.6 degrees Celsius

Total mass = 100 g + 200 g = 300 g

Equilibrium temperature = (100 g * 4.5 degrees Celsius + 200 g * 38.6 degrees Celsius) / 300 g

= (450 g·°C + 7720 g·°C) / 300 g

= 8170 g·°C / 300 g

= 27.23 degrees Celsius

Therefore, the equilibrium temperature when the cups are mixed would be approximately 27.23 degrees Celsius.