9 New Physics at Work (Second Edition) Oxford University Press 2007
Class: Name: ( ) Date: Experiment 2c
Measuring the specific heat capacity of aluminium 2c several 1-kg metal blocks (aluminium, iron, copper, brass, steel) 1 low voltage immersion heater (50 W 12 V) 1 power pack (012 V a.c./d.c.) 1 joulemeter 1 thermometer 1 polystyrene tile 1 bottle of oil cotton wool Apparatus Background information The specific heat capacity c of a substance is the energy transferred by heating needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the substance through 1 C. It is given by the equation: c = Q mT . To measure the specific heat capacity of aluminium. Objective Procedure 1 (a) Add a few drops of oil to the holes in an aluminium block. Insert an immersion heater and a thermometer into the holes (Fig 2c-1). Precaution 1 Air is a poor conductor of heat. Oil is added to the holes of the block to ensure a good thermal contact between the heater, the thermometer and the block. 2 The block is placed on a polystyrene tile. This minimizes the energy loss to the bench. Fig 2c-1 Do not touch the heating part of the heater until it has cooled down. joulemeter 12 V a.c. power supply thermometer aluminium block cotton wool polystyrene tile immersion heater 10 New Physics at Work (Second Edition) Oxford University Press 2007 Experiment 2c Class: Name: ( ) Date: Precaution Insert the heating part of the heater totally into the block before switching it on. This avoids the heater from overheating. Precaution This allows time for the energy to be conducted from the heater to the whole block. Aluminium Mass m / kg Initial temperature T 1 / C Final temperature T 2 / C Temperature change (T = T 2 T 1 ) / C Initial joulemeter reading J 1 / J Final joulemeter reading J 2 / J Energy supplied by heater (Q = J 2 J 1 ) / J Specific heat capacity (c = Q mT ) / J kg 1 C 1 (b) Wrap the block with cotton wool and place it on a polystyrene tile. (c) Record the initial temperature of the block. (d) Record the initial joulemeter reading. 2 (a) Switch on the heater. (b) Switch off the heater when the temperature of the block has risen by about 10 C. (c) Record the highest temperature reached as the final temperature. (d) Record the final joulemeter reading. 3 Record the results in Table 2c-1 and calculate the specific heat capacity of aluminium. Results: 4 Repeat the experiment with other metal blocks if time allows. Discussion Why is the aluminium block wrapped with cotton wool? Table 2c-1 The dials on the joulemeter are read correct to the nearest 100 J. For more accurate results, the graduations on the rotating disc (to the nearest 1 J) should be read. 1.0 35.0 104 900 28.5 98 300 6.5 6600 1020 This is to reduce energy loss to the surrounding air. 11 New Physics at Work (Second Edition) Oxford University Press 2007 Experiment 2c Class: Name: ( ) Date: What is the possible source of error in this experiment? Suggest a way to improve the accuracy of this experiment. 1 The specific heat capacity of aluminium is the energy transferred by heating needed to raise the temperature of aluminium of mass ______________________ through ______________________. 2 The standard value of the specific heat capacity of aluminium is ______________________ J kg 1 C 1 . Further thinking Is this experimental method suitable for determining the specific heat capacity of wood? Explain your answer.
Energy is lost to the surroundings. Cover the top of the metal block with cotton wool. No. This is because wood is a bad conductor. It takes very long time for the energy to be conducted from the heater to the whole block. In such long period of time, the energy lost to the surroundings will be very signifcant and cause a large error to the result. 1 kg 1 C 900 The possible sources of error should match the measured value of c: e.g. c > 900 J kg 1 C 1 energy lost to the surroundings c < 900 J kg 1 C 1 energy gained from the surroundings