SAMPLE COMPUTATION

PART 1
Aluminum
Cm =

[mw C w ( t mix t w ) + mc C c ( t mixt c ) ]

m m (t mixt m )

Cm =

[225.2 ( 1 ) (2826 )+ ( 46.4 ) ( 0.2174 )( 2826 ) ]

33.3 (2898)

Cm =0.2018

cal
gc

| AVAVEV |x 100

Percent Error=

|0.21740.018
|x 100
0.2018

Percent Error=

Percent Error=7.69

Brass
Cm =

[mw C w ( t mix t w ) + mc C c ( t mixt c ) ]

m m (t mixt m )

Cm =

[225.2 ( 1 ) (27.526 ) + ( 46.4 ) ( 0.2174 )( 27.526 ) ]

49.6(27.598)

Cm =0.1009

cal
gc

| AVAVEV |x 100

Percent Error=

|0.0920.1009
|x 100
0.092

Percent Error=

Percent Error=9.14

PART 2
TRIAL 1
[m w C w ( t mix t w )+ mc C c ( t mixt c )mi C w (t mix 0)]
LF =
mi

LF =

[ ( 221.14 ) (1 )( 2618 ) + ( 20.2 ) ( 0.2174 ) ( 2618 )(20.2)(1)(180)]

46.49

LF =73.58 cal/ g

| AVAVEV |x 100

Percent Error=

|79.673.58
|x 100
79.6

Percent Error=

Percent Error=7.56
TRIAL 2
[m w C w ( t mix t w )+ mc C c ( t mixt c )mi C w (t mix 0)]
LF =
mi

LF =

[ ( 212.3 )( 1 ) ( 2621 )+ ( 11.7 ) ( 0.2174 ) ( 2621 )(11.7 )(1)(210)]

46.4

LF =74.037 cal/ g

| AVAVEV |x 100

Percent Error=

|79.674.037
|x 100
79.6

Percent Error=

Percent Error=6.98

GUIDE QUESTIONS
PART 1
1. Express equation 1 in terms of mass, specific heats, final and initial temperature
Experimental specific heat of metal is directly proportional to the product of mass
of water and specific heat of water multiplied to the change in temperature of
water.

2. Why is it important to immerse the metal in the boiling water for a long time? What
happens if the metal was immersed only for a short while?
Its important to immerse the metal in the boiling water for a long time because
the heat of the boiling water will be absorbed by the metal completely. The heat
has to travel from the outer surface of the metal to the inner side. Heat conduction
is done by a slow process of heat transfer, hence more time is needed to complete
the transfer process. So we allow a fairly long time for the heat transfer to be
complete. If its immersed only for a short while the heat conduction or the heat
transfer process of the boiling water to the metal will not be completely absorbed.

3. Why do you need to wipe off the water from the metals surface before taking the initial
temperature?
We need to wipe off the water from the metals surface before taking the initial
temperature because it will add mass to the metal which will cause an error to the
values of our experiment.

4. What is your computed specific heat and percentage of error? Is it acceptable? Why?
The computed specific heat and percentage of error in the part 1 of our
experiment is 7.69% and 9.14% which is acceptable because our professor tasked
us to obtain a percent error not more than 10%.

5. What are the sources of errors? What are your recommendations?

The sources of error in this experiment are the water from the metals surface. We
must wipe it as fast as we could because the cloth used to wipe the water might
absorb the heat of the metal which will change the value of temperature. If we
dont wipe the water, it would cause the mass of the metal to increase which will
change the values of the experiment. The room temperature can also be one of the
sources of erron in this experiment.

PART 2
1. Show your derived formulas in determining the latent heat of fusion of ice using the
law of heat exchange.
LF =

[m w C w ( t mix t w )+ mc C c ( t mixt c )mi C w (t mix 0)]

mi

2. What is the initial temperature of the ice? What assumptions did you make to
determine the initial temperature of the ice.

The initial temperature of the ice is 0C. Since water becomes frozen solid and
turns into ice in 0C which is the freezing point we assumed that its initial
temperature is 0C

3. Why is it important to wipe off the water from the ices surface before putting it into
the calorimeter.
We need to wipe off the water from the ices surface because it will change the
mass of the ice and also it might change the initial temperature of the ice which
will change the values in the experiment and we might get a high percentage
error.

4. Had the mass of ice been greater, how would it affect the result of the experiment and
the computed latent heat of fusion.
If the mass of ice is greater, it would greatly affect the result and the computed
value of the latent heat of fusion because the mass of ice is inversely proportional
to the latent heat. If mass of ice is greater than its initial, then the latent heat will
decrease.
5. What are the sources of error and your recommendation.
Just like in the first part of the experiment, the water in the surface of the ice will
change the values in the experiment because the mass of ice is inversely
proportional to the latent heat. The room temperature would also affect the initial
temperature of the ice. Handling the ice would also be a factor or source of error
in the experiment.

Analysis
Heat is one of the forms of energy. It is energy as it spontaneously passes between a
system and its surroundings, other than as work or with the transfer of matter. Heat may be
defined as energy in transit from a high temperature object to a lower temperature object. The
amount of heat in the body depends on the mass, its initial temperature and the property of the
which is different other bodies called specific heat. An object may change its phase depending on
how much energy it releases or absorbs. The heat s amount however may vary depending on the
property of the body called the latent heat.
Calorimetry, it is a method of determining the heat quantitatively which utilizes the law
of heat exchange. The law states that in an isolated system, the heat given up by the hot body is
equal to the heat absorb of the cold body. Basically, whatever heat is lost by the body shall be
equal to the heat gained by the body.
By following the procedures in our manual, we got a low percentage error because we
kept in mind the factors that will affect the values in our experiment. This experiment is the
perfect example why having a controlled room temperature when conducting heat transfer
experiments is vital because the core principle of each trials boiled down to how the
surroundings temperature is a prime catalyst to a bodys temperature. This can better be
illustrated by picturing and analyzing the effect of submerging ice, which is solid, in the
calorimeter with hot water almost instantly, the ice melted into liquid form because the ice
absorbed the heat from the hot water. The same goes when the heated metal was submerged in
the calorimeter with tap water this time however, the metal cooled because the tap water, which

is cooler than the metal, absorbed its heat. This principle of heat transfer is called conduction. As
observed in both part 1 and part 2 of the experiment, the stirrer was pulled up and down to hasten
heat exchange. The idea behind that, in my opinion, is to introduce heat from the bottom of the
calorimeter to the surface of the calorimeter and to introduce coldness from the surface of the
calorimeter to the bottom of the calorimeter respectively. The principle behind that is called
convection as it talks about how the hot part of a liquid, being dense, will be forced at the bottom
and the cold part, being less dense, surfaces.

Conclusion
After completing this experiment successfully, I can therefore conclude that the
objectives that are tasked to us are achieved. We determined the specific heat of the brass and
copper and also we determined the latent heat of fusion of ice.
The first objective is completed by submerging the metals into the calorimeter and got the
initial and final temperatures which were used to compute for the specific heat, the heated metal
was submerged in the calorimeter with tap water the metal cooled because the tap water, which is
cooler than the metal, absorbed its heat because of that we understood the principle of heat
transfer(conduction). For the second objective, we completed it by computing the latent heat
after putting ice into hot water and getting the change of its temperature. By submerging the ice
in the calorimeter with hot water, the ice melted into liquid form because the ice absorbed the
heat from the hot water which is also caused by the principle of heat transfer.
In this experiment proved that whatever the heat is lost with its initial temperature being
higher will be equal to the heat gained with lower temperature. The concept of heat and
calorimetry can be applied in the field of Sanitary Engineering, calorimetry is necessary when
taking precautions in a plant. With the concept of heat exchange, we will know what to do when
we are handling chemical experiments with calorimetry involved. The knowledge with the
concept of heat exchange will be needed when making decisions especially with drug molecules
by measuring the differential heat flow needed to maintain the temperature difference between
the sample and reference cells equal to zero upon heating at a controlled programmed rate.