CALORIMETRY AND

CONSERVATION OF
ENERGY LAB REPORT
By Kalidas Parakkal Menon
Aim:
To verify that heat energy is conserved and prove the principal of calorimetry.

Previous information:
 We know that because of principal of calorimetry, when two object of
different temperatures are in contact with each other, the heat form the
body with higher temperature will flow to the body with higher
temperature and the heat lost by one body is equal to the heat gained by
the other.
 We know that Q = mcΔθ is the formula used to find out how much heat
(Q) is required for an object of mass (m) with specific heat capacity (c) to
rise change its temperature by Δθ degrees
 We know that specific heat capacity is different for each body
 We know that during our calculations, we have to assume that n heat
energy is lost to our surroundings
 We know how to calculate error percentage
 We know how to calculate specific heat capacity using the given data
Materials used:
Brass block, Iron block, Copper block, Calorimeter, thermometer, weighing
scale, tongs, water bath, water, stopwatch.

Procedure:
1. Place a calorimeter on the digital balance and press 'tare'. Fill the cup with
water and record the mass of the water.
2. Using the thermometer, measure and record the initial temperature of the
water.
3. Measure and record the temperature of the hot bath. This is the temperature
of the block as the block has been placed inside the water bath.
4. Using the tongs, remove the copper block from the water carefully and place
it into the Calorimeter.
5. Wait 30 seconds. Record the final temperature of the block and water.
6. Repeat this process for the other blocks given.

Safety Precautions:
 Wear safety glasses
 Do not put bare hands inside the water bath
  Do not touch the blocks with bare hands
 Use the tongs to place and pick blocks from and into the water
 Place blocks gently and do not splash water
 Be aware of your surroundings
 Do not exert force on apparatus
 Calibrate and use apparatus wisely

Table 1: Data of Brass block

Mass of Initial Mass of Final Temperature Mass of

Water ± temperature block ± temperature change (±1 C) Calorimeter
0.01 (g) of water ±0.5 0.01 (g) of water ± 0.5 (± 0.01g)
(C) (C)
228.27 20 66.46 22 2 18.62

Temperature of water bath: 79 ± 0.5 degrees Celsius

Specific heat capacity of Water: 4.2 J/g K
Q = mcΔθ (Q = Heat m = mass of substance, c = specific heat capacity of
substance, Δθ =change in temperature)
Q of water= 228.27 * 4.2 * 2 = 1917.468 ~ 1917.5
Q of brass = 66.46 * c * 57 = 3788.22 * c ~ 3788.2 * c
Since heat absorbed = heat released
c = 1917.5/3788.2 = 0.506177076 ~ 0.506 J/g K

Table 2: Data of Iron Block

Initial temperature of water bath = 79.5 ± 0.5
Mass of Initial Mass of Final Temperatur Mass of
Water ± temperature block ± temperature e change Calorimeter
0.01 (g) of water 0.01 (g) of water ± (±1 C) (± 0.01g)
±0.5 (C) 0.5 (C)
243.63 21 66.46 24 3 18.11
Temperature of water bath: 79 ± 0.5 degrees Celsius
Specific heat capacity of Water: 4.2 J/g K
Q = mcΔθ (Q = Heat m = mass of substance, c = specific heat capacity of
substance, Δθ =change in temperature)
Q of water = 243.63 * 4.2 * 3 = 3069.738 ~ 3069.7 J
Q of iron = 61.46 * c * 55.5 = 3411.03 ~ 3411.0 * c J
Since heat absorbed = heat released
c = 3069.7/3411.0 = 0.899941366 ~ 0.900 J/g K

Table 3: Data of Copper Block

Mass of Initial Mass of Final Temperature Mass of
Water ± temperature block ± temperature change ±1 Calorimeter
0.01 (g) of water 0.01 (g) of water ± (C) (± 0.01g)
±0.5 (C) 0.5 (C)
211.96 21 71.03 23 2 18.99

Temperature of water bath: 74 degrees Celsius

Specific heat capacity of Water: 4.2 J/g K
Q of water = 211.96 * 4.2 * 2 = 1780.464 ~ 1780.45 J
Q of copper = 71.03 * c * 51 = 3622.53 * c
c = 1780.45/3622.53 = 0.491493514 ~ 0.49 J/g K

Theoretical Values and Percentage Error:

Brass Iron Copper
0.380 0.450 0.386

Brass: 33.15 %
Iron: 100 %
Copper: 26.94 %
Error Analysis
Systematic Errors
 Inaccuracies in measuring the mass and initial temperature of the
substances involved.
This will directly affect our calculations because if the wrong value
was noted down then the true value of the specific heat capacity
will never have been found, giving us a larger percentage
uncertainty.
 Heat loss to the surroundings
In our calculations we assumed that no heat is lost to the
surroundings and that all the heat is transferred in a proper way
between both bodies.
 Faulty apparatus used
If the apparatus used has a fault, then the value obtained would be
far from the true value, thus resulting in a gross calculation error,
also impacting our error percentage.
 Improper calibration of the thermometer used to measure temperature
changes.
This will directly affect our calculations because if the machine
was not calibrated properly, the wrong value was noted down
which would lead to the true value of the specific heat capacity
never being found, giving us a larger percentage uncertainty.
Random Errors
 Fluctuations in temperature due to variations in the ambient temperature
or drafts in the room.
This may have resulted in extra heat being provided or lost by the
calorimeter resulting in a difference between the value obtained
and the true value
 Limited precision of the thermometer used to measure temperature
changes.
Due to the limited precision, the amount of heat gained and lost
could not be measured as accurately as before.