Specific heat capacity for a metal.

Aim:

To measure the specific heat capacity for a metal weight and to comment on the experimental results.

Method:

1. Measure the mass of the metal weight (choose a scale with a good resolution)
2. Measure the mass of a cup (styrofoam cup, insulating container).
3. Fill the cup with tap water and measure the combined mass (do not fill it completely, because you will put an object inside the water later).
4. Calculate the mass of the tap water only.
5. Measure initial temperature of the tap water (set the resolution of the digital thermometer).
6. Heat the metal weight by dipping it into boiling water from a kettle. (Be sure that you leave it in the boiling water enough time, so that the whole piece of metal is at ?100C, not just its surface). (Is the boiling water really at ?100C ? Check it!)
7. Extract the hot metal weight quickly from the boiling water and put it into the cup with the tap water. Cover the cup with a lid, if provided.
8. Measure final temperature inside the cup.
9. Calculate the change in temperature for the metal and for the water.

Repeat the experiment with another weight of the same metal.

Show all your data in a table and show the uncertainties (both absolute and percentage). (Think: how do you calculate the absolute uncertainty on the mass of the water? How do you calculate the absolute uncertainty on the temperature change? Check in OneNote, Module 5 how to do it, if you do not remember)

In WORD (click on Insert, then on the right side click Equation) write down an equation that summarize the exchange of energy between the cold water in the cup and the hot metal, assuming that there is no energy exchange with the surroundings. Use the following symbols:

\fEM; 2 final temperature elf water and meta! weight inside reh cu 1