P1: RP - SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY

Question 1

SHC practical method

Answer 1

-measure and record mass of metal block using scales
-place a heater in the larger hole in the block and connect it to a power source, ammeter and voltmeter
-use a pipette to drop a small amount of oil into the gap between the heater and the block
-put thermometer in the smaller hole
-switch power pack on and record voltage and current
-measure temp of block using thermometer
-repeat every min for 10 mins
- to calculate SHC you first need to calculate energy supplied to the block (current x voltage x time)
-then calculate SHC (c = E / mθ)

Question 2

SHC RP analysis

Answer 2

-some thermal energy dissipated into the surroundings
-therefore temp change is smaller than it should be for the total energy transferred by the heater
-this causes the calculated SHC to be greater than it actually is