Experiment 1

Aim: Determining the specific heat of a metal

Transfer of heat energy occurs when substances having different temperatures are allowed to interact
thermally. In any energy transformation for an isolated system, the total amount of energy remains constant.
This is called the law of conservation of energy. Whenever two substances at different temperatures are
allowed to be thermally exposed to each other, heat travels from the warmer substance to the colder one. The
quantity of heat given off by the warmer substance is equal to the negative value of the quantity of heat energy
gained by the colder one, provided that heat energy does not escape to the surroundings (an isolated system).
The energy transfer will continue until both substances reach the same temperature (equilibrium temperature).

This is called the principle of heat exchange; i.e.

ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 + ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 = 0 i,e 𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 + 𝑄𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 = 0

ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 = ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 i, e 𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝑄𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑

Consider the case in which a metal block at a higher temperature is mixed up with purified water. In this case,
one can write

Hot Body (metal) → 𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝑄m = 𝑚m 𝑐m (𝑇m − 𝑇f)

Cold Body (water) → 𝑄𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 = 𝑄w = 𝑚w 𝑐w (𝑇𝑓 − 𝑇w)

𝑚m 𝑐m (𝑇m − 𝑇f) = 𝑚w 𝑐w (𝑇𝑓 − 𝑇w)

Hot body (metal) Cold body (water)

𝑚m = mass of metal 𝑚w = mass of water
𝑐m = Specific heat capacity of metal 𝑐w = Specific heat capacity of water
𝑇m = Initial temperature of metal 𝑇w = Initial temperature of water

𝑇𝑓 = final temperature after thermal equilibrium

Experimental procedure:
1) Place the 100 ml beaker on the digital balance and press the calibrate button.

2) Add some purified water into the beaker and measure the mass, 𝑚w, and the initial temperature, 𝑇w, of water.

3) Press the calibrate button of the digital balance again.

4) Heat a metal block in boiling water long enough for the block to reach 100°𝐶.

5) Transfer the hot metal block into the system. (beaker kept in the wooden calorimeter)

6) Record the mass of the metal block as 𝑚m.

7) Measure the final temperature of the water & block system once the heat transfer has taken place.

o
𝑇m =73 C

Mass of the metal

𝑚m/kg

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Mass

62.73 62.73 62.72 62.732666

o
𝑇w = 24 C 𝑐w = 4200 𝐽/(𝑘𝑔℃)
Mass of the water
𝑚w/kg

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Mass

55.9 55.85 55.89 55.88

o
𝑇𝑓 = 28.5/ C

Processing : Calculate the value of specific heat capacity

 Experiment 2
Aim: Collect data to develop and study the heating curve for water and use the graph to calculate the
latent heat of fusion of ice

Pre-Lab: A heating curve is a graph of temperature vs. energy added. Since the energy added is
difficult to measure directly, we will be recording the temperature change as a function of time.

Theory:
Matter exists in one of these three states: solid, liquid and gas. A solid has a fixed shape and volume.
A liquid takes on the shape of the container that it is in. A gas completely fills the container that it is in.

Matter can change between these states by either adding heat or removing heat; this is known as a
change of state. As we heat an object (e.g. water) it goes from a solid to a liquid to a gas. As we cool
an object it goes from a gas to a liquid to a solid.
The changes of state that you should know are:
● Melting point
The temperature at which a solid changes its phase or state to become a liquid. The process is
called melting.

● Freezing point
The temperature at which a liquid changes its phase to become a solid. The process is called
freezing.

● Boiling point
The temperature at which a liquid changes its phase to become a gas. The process is called
evaporation

If we know the melting and boiling point of a substance then we can say what state (solid, liquid or
gas) it will be in at any temperature.

Phase changes in matter

Materials:
Ice
250 mL beaker
Thermometer
stirring rod
hot plate
safety glasses
stir bar

Procedure:
● Fill half 250 mL beaker with ice.
● Measure the mass of the ice. (mi)
 ● Place a vernier temperature sensor in the beaker with the icee. When the temperature of the
mixture has been measured, place the beaker on the hot plate (leave the thermometer in
beaker).
● Start the bunsen burner.
● Using a stirrer make sure the mixture (melting ice and water) is stirred constantly. Make sure
that the temperature probe is immersed in the ice/water and does not touch the sides or
bottom of the beaker. (You want to record the temperature of the ice, not the beaker.)
● Continue stirring until the water is fully boiling. When you are done collecting data remove the
thermometer and turn off the hot plate. Clean and put away all materials.
● Transfer the graph to the document.

Processing -
1. Use the part of the graph to calculate the heat energy (ΔQ) given by the bunsen burner.
2. Use the heat energy given by the bunsen burner to calculate the latent heat of suion of ice.

108.5g
221.21g
What are some common errors (Random and/or systematic ) in Experiment 1

The water we used was not 100% pure and at a higher temperature than the temperature of the
water used to find the CW.

What are some common errors (Random and/or systematic ) in Experiment 2