system and surroundings [ENDORSED]

[Lindsay H 2B]

question 8.19 has to do with heating up a copper kettle in order to heat up the water inside. In this situation, is the kettle considered part of the system or the surroundings?

[Michelle Nguyen 2L]

Since we are being asked to calculate the amount of heat that must be added to the kettle (containing water), I would consider it as part of the system, the whole system being kettle+water

[William Satyadi 2A]

I agree with Michelle, since we are supplying heat to a copper kettle, we are adding heat to our system, not to our surroundings. I don't think it counts as a system, but rather the boundary of the outer boundary of the system.

[Janine Chan 2K]

The kettle should be part of the system, which is why the kettle is included when calculating the heat that must be supplied. I guess if you think about it, the kettle must be heated first before the water can be heated.