PHYS 1401
General Physics I
EXPERIMENT 12
SPECIFIC HEAT
I. INTRODUCTION
The objective of this experiment is to measure the specific heat of several different
substances. This will be done by mixing two different substances and measuring
their initial temperatures and then measuring their final temperature as they come
to thermal equilibrium.
II. BASIC CONCEPTS
1. The specific heat of a substance is the amount of heat needed to raise the
temperature of 1.00 kg of the substance 1.00◦C. In the SI system, water has
a specific heat of 4184 J/kg.◦C which is a large value compared to other sub-
stances. In another system of units, the specific heat of water has the value
1.00 calorie/g◦C.
2. The amount of heat, Qgained or lost by a substance is
Q=cm∆T(1)
where cis the specific heat, mis the mass and ∆Tis the change in tempera-
ture.
3. When hot and cold substances are mixed in an insulated container such as a
calorimeter, heat will flow from the hot to the cold substance. Assuming the
heat absorbed by the container and the heat lost to the environment are both
negligible, then we have
Heat lost by the hot substance =Heat gained by the cold substance
Chmh(Ti,h −Tf) = Ccmc(Tf−Ti,c)(2)
where the subscripts h and c refer to the hot and cold substances.
III. APPARATUS
Calorimeter, Celsius thermometer, beaker, electric hot plate, balance, string and
various metals.
IV. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
1. Fill a beaker about half full of water. Place on the hot plate and start boiling
the water. This will take several minutes.
2. Measure the mass of the given metal. Record all data in the data table.
1
