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Chemistry
Secondary 4 • September 27, 2021
I have a hard time understanding how why ° C is used in the thermal energy equation Q = m * c * delta T. In many chemistry exercises, we have to use Kelvin. Thank you
Answer (1)
Alloprof Answer
September 27, 2021
Hello Thank you for your question! A temperature variation can be calculated in Kelvin or in degrees Celsius. To convince yourself of this, let's take for example two temperatures \(T_1\) and \(T_2\) given in ° C. To convert them to Kelvin, we must add 273.15. The temperature variation \( \triangle T\) therefore gives: △T=T1−T2 △T=(T1+273,15)−(T2+273,15) By distributing the negative sign in the second part of the equation, we obtain: △T=T1+273,15−T2−273,15 We therefore notice that the 273.15 cancel each other out, which amounts to our starting equation. When the formula includes \( \triangle T\) , you can use either temperatures in Kelvin or in degrees Celsius since we have just shown that: △T=T1−T2=(T1+273,15)−(T2+273,15) If you have other questions, do not hesitate to ask them on our forums!
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