Specific Heat Lab Report

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Substances, defined as a type of matter that is specific in its composition and physical properties, are
discoverable everywhere throughout our observable universe. Our infinite vacuum of space holds an
incredulous number of substances, some that we are unable to identify at first glance. When tasked with
identifying various undetermined substances, physical and chemical properties are taken heavily into
account. Chemical properties, like flammability, toxicity, and combustibility are all useful, however,
provide challenge in their lack of specificity when identifying. Physical properties also share this
conundrum, though there is one that proves significantly more effective than its peers – specific heat.
Specific heat is the amount of energy necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance
one-degree Celsius, and can be solved with the formula Eh = m × c × ΔT.
With this formula in mind, we sought to answer the question: Which material has the greatest specific
heat?

Why Are We Doing This?

Before analyzing our calculations and results, realizing why we’re answering this question is an
incredibly important preface to demonstrate our understanding and to connect this lab to our world.
Specific heat capacity is utilized primarily in the construction field. When building items that people sit
on, such as a bench, it’s detrimental to use materials that won’t heat up easily, such as steel. Instead, it’s
more optimal to use a material like wood, that has a significantly higher specific heat capacity. Without
the ability to determine specific heat capacities, information such as this would be hidden without a trial-
and-error process that would be inefficient at best, making this concept detrimental to the world as we
know it.
With the knowledge of its real-world applications, we can now examine the experiment itself and the
subsequent reasoning for our actions done throughout the experiment.

Process: What Did We Do and Why?

After gathering all the materials necessary, we began by pouring 100mL of water into a beaker,
and 150mL of water into a Calorimeter, a proposedly isolated system to help determine the specific heat
capacity of copper, graphite, and brass. We placed the beaker on a hot plate, let it heat up for 19 minutes,
then removed each material separately with a pair of tongs, placing each material in a new 100mL of
room temperature water. We recorded our results on a sheet of paper, then recorded it on a table. We used
this method as it was the simplest and most efficient use of our time during the lab. Creating a chart from
the very beginning can make it more challenging to record data, and while it’s easier to analyze once in a
table, it makes more sense to move the data at a later date. Our procedure was simply following the
instructions provided for us, which was in an already efficient state that would be unnecessary to alter.
Then, using the formula provided, we calculated the specific heat of each material.
 Brass Copper Graphite
Weight 8.71g 9.16g 1.82g
Initial Water Temp. 22°C 22°C 22°C
Final Water Temp. 23.3°C 23.8°C 24.1°C
Specific Heat 0.81J/g°C 1.08J/g°C 0.6J/°C

Our Argument

Following our experiment and our analysis of the data, our results
have concluded that copper has the highest specific heat
capacity out of the materials we tested. We came to this
conclusion with immense revision of calculations and analysis of
data post-experimentation. Our calculations are correct, however
there proves inconsistency in the experiment itself; our “isolated
system” wasn’t a truly isolated system, and our thermometer we
used to measure the temperature of our water was having some
technical issues, all of which could provide inaccurate results. In
conclusion, specific heat holds significant value in our modern
society. When a substance is unknown, it is quite utterly useless
until a specific heat capacity is determined. Therefore, this lab is crucial to our life and our understanding
of the world, as without it, we’d be unable to construct buildings effectively or even make food efficiently
for ourselves.