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AP Physics 2
9.5 Specific Heat and Thermal Conductivity
9.3 Thermal Energy Transfer and Equilibrium
IntermediateMCQConceptual18.7k
A student performs an experiment to determine the specific heat capacity of an unknown metal block. The hot block is placed into an insulated cup containing water at room temperature. The student records the initial temperatures of the block and water as well as the final equilibrium temperature of the mixture, assuming no thermal energy is exchanged with the surrounding environment. If a small amount of thermal energy actually escapes to the surrounding air during the process, how will the experimentally calculated specific heat capacity of the metal compare to its true value, and why?

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