Question

A small metal block is placed in a beaker containing boiling water. The block initially weighs 50 grams and its temperature is 25°C. After 5 minutes, its weight is 49 grams and its temperature is 80°C. Determine the entropy change of the metal block during this process assuming it to be irreversible.

Answer 1

To determine the entropy change of the metal block, we need to know its specific heat capacity  c  and its initial and final temperatures  T1 and T2 . Since the metal type is not specified, we will assume it to be aluminum, which has a specific heat capacity of 0.897 J/gC.The initial temperature  T1  is 25C, and the final temperature  T2  is 80C. The mass of the metal block is 49 grams after 5 minutes.The entropy change  S  can be calculated using the formula:S = mc ln T2/T1 where m is the mass of the metal block, c is the specific heat capacity, and ln is the natural logarithm.Plugging in the values:S =  49 g  *  0.897 J/gC  * ln 80C / 25C S  49 g * 0.897 J/gC * ln 3.2 S  44.153 J/C * 1.163S  51.34 J/CThe entropy change of the metal block during this process is approximately 51.34 J/C. Keep in mind that this calculation assumes the metal block to be aluminum and the process to be irreversible.