Difference between equations

[Grace Strottman 2B]

I know that in ap chemistry we learned that the thermodynamics equation was q=mc(delta T) however in this class were learning q = g(Csp)(tf-Ti). Does anyone know the difference between the 2 equations and why were using this one?

[Shimona_Gupta_3I]

The equations are essentially the same. The delta T in the ap chem equation is the difference between the final temperature and the initial temperature which is reflected in the Chem 14B equation as (Tf - Ti). Additionally, in the ap chem equation, there is the m(c) where m stands for mass and c is the specific heat capacity. The same is represented in the chem 14B equation with g(Csp) where g stands for grams or in other words, mass and Csp is specific heat capacity. (as a reminder specific heat capacity is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree celsius). So essentially both equations are the same with different variables for the constants.

[Jennifer Liu 2A]

Whichever equation is easier for you to remember, you can use, because they're the same equation (just with different names for the variables) :))

[Christian Huang 1G]

Hi! I had a question in regard to different equations as well. How does delta V change based on the type of system? I think we went over how w=0 in an open system but do any other variables change depending on the type of system?

[Tatum Pearlman 2D]

Hey Grace!!!! I was also confused on this at first, but then I realized that the g(grams) is the same as the m(mass), the c(specific heat capacity) is the same as Csp(specific heat capacity when pressure is constant), and the delta T is just change in T, which is Tfinal-Tinitial. Whichever one you use, you should get the same answer because you will be using the same numbers