A block of a certain material is heated to a temperature of 500° C and then placed on a large ice block. If 1.455 kg of ice melts, find the mass of the block. Specific heat of the material is 0.39 Jg⁻¹C⁻¹ and heat of fusion of water is 335 Jg⁻¹ .

Step-by-step solution

Let the mass of the block be m grams. Heat lost by the block in cooling from 500^ C to 0^ C is given by: Q_ lost = m s T Q_ lost = m 0.39 (500 - 0) = 195m J Heat gained by the ice to melt is given by: Q_ gained = m_ ice L Q_ gained = 1455 335 = 487425 J By the principle of calorimetry, heat lost equals heat gained: 195m = 487425 m = 487425 195 2500 g = 2.5 kg Answer: 2.5 kg