Casey Doran Mr.

Dillon Lab Report 11/30/10

The Affect of Specific Heat and Temperature Change of Quartz and water

Statement of Problem and Hypothesis- The purpose of this experiment is to determine why water heats up slower than sand. If you change the materials the specific heat will be different. If a hot quartz sample is placed in room temperature water the change in temperature of the quartz is greater then the change in temperature of the water because the specific heat of quartz is greater than the specific heat of water. Specific heat is energy needed to increase the temperature of one gram of substance one degree Celsius. Calorie- energy needed to increase the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. The specific heat of water is one calorie per gram per degree Celsius. The dependent variable is specific heat. The independent variable is the materials (sand and water). The constant variable is the same type of cup. Experimental Design 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Fill cup with 250ml of water Measure starting temperature of water Measure starting temperature of quartz by measuring the boiling water the quartz is in Put quartz in the cup Put lid on the cup Put the thermometer in the cup Wait until thermometer temperature stops changing, and the record that temperature Take quartz out , dry it, and measure its mass Repeat steps 2 more times for better reliability

Data Analysis

The change in temperature of the water was 5.3 and the change in temperature of the quartz was 73.1. The relationship between the change in temperature and the specific heat is the lower the specific heat the higher the change in temperature. The specific heat of quartz is 0.14 and the specific heat of water is 1c/gC. The change in temperature of the quartz was 73.1C and the change in temperature of the water was 5.3C. Water is the material that had the highest specific heat. 1 calorie is needed to cause a 1C change in temperature of water. 0.14 calories are needed to cause a 1C change in temperature of the quartz.

Conclusion My reliability was good because it was similar to the class average, but not exact. All mistakes were likely do to errors and measurements. Its also reliable because I did three trials instead of just one. My specific heat of quartz was similar to the actually specific heat of quartz but not exact. All mistakes were likely do to errors and measurements. My experiment was 26.3 % incorrect. My percent error is large so results are not valid.