SHS Physics

Specific Heat (Calorimetry)

One property of a substance is the amount of heat it can absorb per unit of mass. This property is called specific heat. Every substance has its own unique specific heat or capacity for heat energy. By definition, specific heat is the amount of energy (in joules) needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of material 1 degree Celsius. In this lab you will use a device called a calorimeter. Calorimeter equipment can be quite complex. However, we will use a very simple but effective calorimeter--2 Styrofoam cups. Styrofoam has great insulating properties, especially when doubled up, one cup inside another with a pocket of air in between. A cup lid will also be utilized. This simple device limits heat loss and offers the opportunity for good data capture as it closely resembles an isolated system.

Simple 2-Cup Calorimeter

In an isolated system, no energy is allowed to enter or leave, so in the case of our calorimeter, we can use a simple energy balance to determine the specific heat of a metal sample. We will heat a piece of metal up to (approximately) 100C by suspending it in boiling water, and then transfer the metal to our calorimeter filled with a known mass of room temperature water. Since energy is conserved: Qlost by metal = Qgained by water but since Q = mCT Cmetal Tmetal)= (mwater Cwater Twater)

(mmetal

Today you will experimentally determine the specific heat of a common metal and compare your results to the actual specific heat. BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Use caution around the hot plate surfaces, the hot glassware, the boiling water and the hot metal samples themselves. DO NOT TOUCH THE HOT METAL SAMPLES WITH YOUR BARE HANDS OR FINGERS WHILE TRANSFERRING THEM TO THE CALORIMETER!. Equipment: Hot plate, 600 ml glass beaker, 400 ml glass beaker, 2 Styrofoam cup calorimeter, cup lid, PasPort temperature sensor, lap top computer equipped with DataStudio software, mass balance, metal sample, wooden dowel, tongs.

PROCEDURE
1. Fill the 600 ml beaker with approximately 500 ml water and place it on the hot plate. Turn on the hot plate (maximum temperature), cover the beaker with a hot pad and start heating the water. 2. While the water is heating, turn on your computer and log in under one of your team members student account. Ensure the PasPort temperature sensor is connected to the PasPort USB link, and once the computer has booted up, plug the USB link into a USB port in the computer. The screen should show three icons once the USB connection is recognized: select Launch DataStudio and double click. This should bring up a graph of temperature versus time. You are ready to start gathering dataclick start whenever you would like to start recording temperature.

3. Have another team member assemble your 2-cup calorimeter while the computer is being set up, and place it on the mass balance. Tare the scale, and pour approximately 180 ml of water into the cupsdo not exceed the capacity of the balance (200 g). Record the mass of water being used. Place the lid on the calorimeter and put it aside (away from the hot plate) for now. 4. Next, mass your metal sample and record this in your lab book. While waiting for the water to boil, create a data table for recording temperature of the water and metalyou will need to record the temperature every 30 seconds for approximately 7 minutes. 5. Once the water has started to boil, slide the wood dowel through the loop of string tied to your mass. Suspend the mass in the boiling water by placing the wood dowel across the rim of the beaker. Ensure that the mass is completely submerged, but that it does not tough the bottom of the beaker. Allow the metal to reach thermal equilibrium with the water (a minimum of 6 minutes). 6. After the metal has been suspended for a minute or two, place the temperature sensor in the boiling water and record the temperature. We will assume that this is the initial temperature of the metal when we place it in the calorimeter. Make sure that you allow the temperature sensor to cool for at least five minutes before using it to measure the temperature of the water in the calorimeter (or place it in a beaker filled with water before using again). 7. Just before your metal has reached thermal equilibrium, measure and record the temperature of the water in your calorimeter. 8. After your metal has reached thermal equilibrium with the boiling water you will transfer it to the calorimeter. Place the calorimeter on the table near the hot plate to facilitate transfer. Have one team member do the transfer process aloneit is easier and less dangerous. Grab the wood dowel by the end and carefully lift the metal out of the water. Using the tongs with your other hand, grab the piece of metal and gently place it in the calorimeter. Try not to transfer any excess water from the beaker, and

be careful not to splash water up the sides of the calorimeter. Immediately place the lid on the calorimeter, and insert the temperature sensor into the calorimeter water through the lid. 9. Gently swirl the calorimeter to ensure even temperature and record the water temperature every 30 seconds for at least 7 minutes (read the graph being generated on the computer).

Analysis Questions:
1. Determine the final accepted temperature of the metal and water. Justify the temperature you chose to useit may or may not be the final temperature at the 7 minute mark. 2. Calculate the specific heat of your metal. Show all calculations. 3. Look up the specific heat for lead in your text book and calculate a percent error. If using brass c = 376 J/kgC. 4. List at least two sources of experimental error and indicate how they would affect your calculated specific heat. Suggest how we could correct for these errors in a future lab.