Introduction /9

and objectives
Methodology /9
Results /9
Discussions /9
Conclusions /9
References /9
Continuous /6
learning &
information
management
Total /60
Percentage /85%

SF0021

PRACTICAL PHYSICS II

LAB REPORT

EXPERIMENT 8 : HEAT CAPACITY OF METALS

GROUP NO. : 1

NAME MATRIC NO

IRDINA BALQIS BT AMEROL HAMZAH FS22110421

LIDYANA HENDRY FS22110404

ANGEL ANN TADIUS FS22110399

MARDIANA BT MOHAMAD IDAL FS22110423

MICHAEL MURPHY CHANG MING REN FS22160735

MUHAMMAD ‘AFIF DANIAL BIN MOHD FS22110427

SHAHIR

DATE OF EXPERIMENT: 11/10/2022

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 1/11/2022

DEMONSTRATOR: MISS SITI SARAH JUNIAN

HEAT CAPACITY OF METALS

 Irdina Balqis binti Amerol Hamzah, Lidyana Hendry, Angel Ann Tadius, Mardiana binti
Mohamad Idal Michael Murphy Chang Ming Ren Muhammad ‘Afif Danial bin Mohd Shahir

Preparoty Center For Science and Technology,University Malaysia Sabah,Jalan

UMS,88400,Kota Kinablau,Sabah

Data Collected: 11 October 2022;Submitted : 1 November 2022

Tutorial ;7 Lab Demo : Siti Sarah Junain

ABSTRACT

The experiment heat capacity of metals aimed to determine the heat capacity of the
calorimeter and to determine the specific heat capacity of the aluminium and brass .We
prepared the materials given and preceded to the experiment proper.The materials and
apparatus used in this experiment was calorimeter and two different metals which are
aluminium and brass.The experiment is started with a preheating of water to boiling to save
time.Afterwards, the experiment proceeded in determination of the specific heat of
aluminium and brass.The specific heat of aluminium and brass is then computed .The result
yielded the value of specific heat of the calorimeter is 229.26 JK -1 meanwhile the specific
heat capacity of aluminium and brass is 0.742 Jg°c and 0.31 Jg°c.In conclusion ,the
experiment had illustrated that the specific heat of metals differs when it is used and held in
a constant pressure.The objectives of this experiment had been achieved whereas the heat
capacity of calorimeter and the specific heat capacities of aluminium and brass had been
determined.

Keywords :Heat capacity ; specific heat ;aluminium ;brass ;temperature

Introduction

Heat is a form of energy that is transferred between objects with different temperatures.
Heat always flows from high temperature to low temperature.The heat capacity C of a
substance is defined as a ratio of heat absorbed by a substance to the temperature
change.Therefore, the temperature change in a body is directly proportional to the heat
transferred to the given body.It is usually expressed as calories per degree in terms of the
actual amount of material being considered, most commonly a mole (the molecular weight
in grams ).Meanwhile,specific heat is the amount of heat per unit mass required to raise the
temperature by 1 °C (Anshuman Shrivastava,2018) .The formula is q = mcΔT where q is
the amount of heat ,m is the mass of the material, c is the specific heat capacity and ΔT is
the changes of temperature.The SI unit for specific heat is JKg -1 °C-1. To determine the
specific heat capacity of a substance, the method of mixtures is often used. A vessel, called
a calorimeter, of known specific heat capacity, Sc , and mass mc is partially filled with water
at a temperature T1 and then mounted in a suitable manner so that it is thermally insulated
from the outside world. A mass M of the substance of unknown specific heat capacity C is
heated to a high temperature Tb (usually in boiling water) and then quickly transferred to
the calorimeter. The temperature of the calorimeter and the water contained quickly rises to
a value T2 it then slowly begins to fall as heat is lost to the room. If all the masses are
measured in grams, the temperature in degrees Celsius and the specific heat capacities in
calories per gram per degree Celsius, the block of substance has thus given MC(Tb - T2)
calories of heat to the calorimeter and the contained water.In this laboratory report,we
present the result of this experiment and compare our experimental results with the specific
heat capacity theory.

OBJECTIVES

 To determine the heat capacity of the calorimeter.

 To determine the specific heat capacity of aluminium and brass.
THEORY

Heat capacity is amount of heat needed to produce a unit temperature of given substance.
Specific heat which characterizes a particular substance is the amount of heat required to
increase the temperature of 1 kg substance by 1 ℃ or 1 K. Heat capacity is measured in
joules per kelvin (J/K) in SI units and is proportional to the mass of the heated substance .
Moreover, it can be calculated using the formula:

Q=mc ∆ θ (1)

Where,

Q = heat capacity

m =mass

c = specific heat capacity

∆ θ = change in temperature

Next, in order to achieve more precise of the specific heat capacity of a substance and to
see the effects of heat flow from one to another, calorimeter was then inverted. Calorimeter
are used to measure the volume and heat produced during a certain time interval. Thus, the
heat capacity of the calorimeter can be determined using the formula :

ϑ w −ϑ m
C k =C w × mw (2)
ϑ m−ϑ k

Where ϑ k, is the temperature of the calorimeter before the experiment , ϑ m is the

temperature of the mixture, ϑ w is the temperature of the hot water, mw is the mass of the
water and C w = 4.187 J/gK , the specific heat capacity of water.
Then, the specific heat capacity of material by can be calculated using the formula :

∁=¿ ¿ ¿ ( 3)

C w is heat capacity of water , mw is mass of water, C k is heat capacity of caloroimeter,

ϑ m∧ϑ 1is the upper and lower point of overlapping between θ ( ℃ ) an time,t . Meanwhile m p
is the mass of metal. All the values of heat capacity of brass and aluminum are according to
the Dulong and Petit’s law.

MEHTHODOLOGY

Heat Capacity of calorimeter

(a) (b)

Figure 1 (a) and (b): The set up for the experiment

First of all, the calorimeter temperature was taken. Then, 250ml water was boiled to 50 °C
(θw ) and the weight of the boiled water ( mw ) was taken. Next, the water was poured in
calorimeter and the rise in temperature against time were recorded. The heat capacity of
calorimeter was determined by using equation (1). The experiment was repeated again and
graph Ck and the average Ck were determined.

Specific Heat Capacity of Metals

(a) (b)

Figure 2 (a) and (b) : Aluminum and Brass

First, 4 brass test pieces were tied and weighed together (Same with aluminium). After
that, a layer of glass beads was put at the bottom of beaker while heating the specimens
and the calorimeter was filled with cold water with a known mass ( mw ). The specimens
were boiled for 10 minutes, dried quickly and were put in calorimeter. Then, the
temperature rise against time was plotted/recorded. The specific heat capacity of material
was determined by using equation (2) and the value obtained was compared with Dulong
and Petit’s Law. The experiment was the repeated for aluminium.
Results

Objective 1:

For objective 1, the mass of the apparatus and the temperature was taken.

Mass of empty calorimeter, mec (g) 377.30

Mass of calorimeter with water , mec+w (g) 623.70
Mass of water, mw (g) 246.40
θ
Temperature of calorimeter, k (℃) 24.0
Temperature of hot water, θ w (℃¿ 68.0
Table 1. Data for the mass of apparatus and the temperature

Then the rise in temperature of the calorimeter was recorded at certain time intervals and
tabulated.

Time, t(s) Temperature (℃) Time, t(s) Temperature (℃)

0 28.0 330 61
30 28.0 360 61
60 27.5 390 61
90 27.0 420 61
120 26.5 450 60
150 26.5 480 60
180 26.5 510 60
210 26.5 540 60
240 26.5 570 60
270 26.5 600 60
300 26.5 630 60
Data for temperature of water (℃) and time, t(s).

The time interval that was used was 30 seconds. The values were then used to plot the
graph of Temperature (℃) against Time, t(s).
 Temperature,(℃) against Time, t(s)
70
61 61 61 61 60 60 60 60 60 60 60
60

50
Temperature (℃)

40
28 28 27.5 27 26.526.526.526.526.526.526.5
30

20

10

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Time, t(s)

Graph 1: Temperature against time.

From figure 1, the temperature of the mixture, θm is 61° C. Therefore, all the values from
Table 1.1 and θm will be substituted into equation below to determine the heat capacity of
calorimeter.
θw−, θm
CK=Cw .mw
θm−, θk
68 °−61 °
=4.187 x 246.40 x
61°−24 °
=229.26JK-1

The calculated value of heat capacity of calorimeter is 229.26JK -1

Objective 2:

For objective 2, the mass of empty calorimeter, water and test tube were all recorded. The
experiment was then carried out using Aluminum and brass as the metals of experiment

ALUMINUM

Mass of empty calorimeter, mec (g) 377.3

Mass of calorimeter with water, mec+w (g) 623.7
Mass of water, mw (g) 246.4
Mass of test tube, mp (g) 238.9

Time, t(s) Temperature (℃ ¿ Time, t(s) Temperature (℃)

0 27 330 27
30 27 360 35
60 27 390 35
90 27 420 36
120 27 450 36
150 27 480 36
180 27 510 36
210 27 540 36
240 27 570 36
270 27 600 36
300 27 630 36
Data for temperature of water (℃) with aluminum cubes and time, t(s)

The temperature was recorded for each specific interval of time required. The graph of
temperature (℃) against time (s) was then plotted.

Temperature(℃) against Time, t(s)

40
35 35 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36
35

3027 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27
Temperature,(℃)

25

20

15

10

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Time, t(s)

Graph 2: Temperature against time for Aluminum.

From figure 2, the temperature of the mixture, θm is 36° C, and the initial temperature, θ1 is
27° C. To determine the boiling point, θ2 , equation below will be used, where the measured
value is p is 951hPa.

θ2=100+ 0.0276 ( p−1013 hPa )−0.000017 ( p−1013 hPa )

θ2=100+ 0.0276 ( 951−1013 hPa )−0.000017 ( 951−1013 hPa )

The calculated value of θ2 is 98.29℃ . Hence, the next equation will be used to determine
the specific heat capacity of aluminium.

( Cw . m w +C k )(θm−θ1)
c=
m p (θ2−θ m)

( 4.187 ×246.4 +229.26 ) ( 36−27 )

C=
238.9 ( 100.0069−36 )
¿ 0.74 J /g ℃

Brass

Mass of empty calorimeter, mec (g) 377.3

Mass of calorimeter with water, mec+w (g) 623.7
Mass of water, mw (g) 246.4
Mass of test piece, mp (g) 238.8

Time, t(s) Temperature, (℃) Time, t(s) Temperature, (℃)

0 27 330 32
30 27 360 32
60 27 390 31
90 27 420 31
120 27 450 31
150 27 480 31
180 27 510 31
210 27 540 31
240 27 570 31
270 27 600 31
300 27 630 31
Data for temperature of water with brass (℃) and time, t(s)
 Temperature, (℃) against time, t(s)
33
32 32
32
31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31
31

30
Temperature, (℃)

29

28
27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27
27

26

25

24
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Time, t(s)

Graph 3: temperature against time for Brass.

From graph 3, the temperature of the mixture, θm is 31℃ , and the initial temperature, θ1is
27℃ . By substituting all the values measured into previous equation.

( C w .mw +C k ) ( θm−θ1 )
c=
mp ( θ 2−θm )

(4.187 ∙ 246.4+229.26)(31−27)
c=
238.8(100.069−31)
¿ 0.31 J/g℃
DISCUSSION

The specific heat of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature
of 1 gram of the substance by 1°C (Libretexts, 2022). The main apparatus in conducting this
experiment is calorimeter which is a device for measuring the heat developed during a
mechanical, electrical, or chemical reaction and for calculating the heat capacity of
materials. (T. Editors of Encyclopaedia, 2022). Calorimeter were insulated to prevent loss or
gain of heat between the calorimeter and its surroundings.

Based on its function , the experiment was conducted to find the heat capacity of the
calorimeter. From the results for objective 1, the water temperature inside of the
calorimeter after 90 seconds decreased from 28.0°C to 27.0°C and then stayed constant at
26.5°C after until 300 seconds. After 330 seconds, the water temperature inside the
calorimeter increased from initial temperature of 26.5°C to 61°C because the room
temperature water was changed to hot water. This can be related to the principle of
calorimetry where it indicates the law of conservation energy, or the total heat lost by the
hot body is equal to the total heat gained by the cold body. Thus, to complete objective 1,
water is used because of its high specific heat making it difficult to increase the temperature
of water. From the data shown, the heat capacity of the calorimeter is found to be 229.26
JK-1

For objective 2, where the aluminum was used, the water temperature remain constant at
27°C for 300 seconds and after 330 seconds, it increased from 27°C to 36°C and remained
constant until 630 seconds. This happened because the metal was heated first before it was
put inside the calorimeter with room temperature after 300 seconds. It caused the
aluminum to cool down and the energy is lost in the form of heat. As stated on the law, this
energy (heat) doesn’t disappear but is absorbed by the water hence the increasing of the
water temperature and once it reached dynamic equilibrium, it will stop rising and the net
heat flow is zero. From the calculation, the specific heat capacity of aluminum is 0.74 J/g°C.
Next, for brass, the temperature also increased from 27°C to 32°C after 330 seconds and
remained constant at 31°C after 390 seconds. The specific heat capacity of the brass is 0.31
J/g°C.
There are some factors that causes the errors in results taken during the experiment. Some
of the errors that can be identified is the metal was tied together with a string. This may
cause the value of heat capacity to be inaccurate from its theoretical value. Other than that,
the heating of the metal may be uneven through the metal cubes. This causes each metal
cubes to absorb different amount of heat during the heating process. Condition of the metal
may affect the reading of temperature during heating process. This will cause the calculation
of specific heat capacity to be different from its original value. To prevent any further error
during experiment, there are some precautions must be taken before the experiment. One
of the step is to make sure the flames heating the metal is constant. This will prevent the
uneven heating of the metal. This also make the reading more accurate. Then, the condition
of the metal must in good condition. If the metal was rusted, it will make the reading of
temperature of the metal to be different from its theoretical value.

QUESTIONS

1. Compare the value of the specific heat capacity of all tested metals obtained from the
experiment with Dulong and Petit’s Law.

In 1819, Dulong and Petit found that when the atomic weight of an element was multiplied
by its specific heat, the number obtained was approximately the same for all elements. The
specific heat capacity obtained from the experiment for Aluminum is 0.640 J/gK, whereas
the specific heat capacity for Brass is 0.268 J/gK. When the specific heat of Aluminum and
Brass was multiplied by their atomic weight, the values obtained are 17.26 and 17.24
respectively. Although there was a slight difference when compared to the theoretical
values, this experiment agrees well with Dulong and Petit’s Law.

2. Which metal would cause the greatest increase in the temperature of the water in the
calorimeter? The one with the higher specific heat capacity or the one with the lower
specific heat capacity? Explain.

Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to change the temperature
of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C. In this case, aluminium would cause the greatest increase in
the temperature of the water in the calorimeter. This is because a metal with a higher
specific heat capacity – Aluminium – can store more heat compared to a metal with a lower
specific heat capacity – Brass. Therefore, when aluminium was immersed in water, a higher
amount of heat energy will be transferred from the metals to the water until the net flow of
heat reached equilibrium, thus causing a greater rise in temperature.

3. Relative to metals, how does the specific heat capacity of water compare? Is it higher, or
lower?

Relative to metals, the specific heat capacity of water is higher. Precisely, water has the
highest specific heat capacity compared to most other common substances. Water is able to
absorb a large amount of heat without a high increase in temperature, and it also takes a
long time for water to cool down, hence contribute to the stability of the Earth’s
temperature when the weather changes.

4. If equal masses of two metals are heated to a temperature of 100°C, which would cause
a more severe burn – the one with the higher specific heat capacity or the one with the
lower specific heat capacity? Explain.

The metal with a higher specific heat capacity would cause a more severe burn. This is
because by considering the formula of c=Q /m∆ θ , we can see that the relation of the
specific heat capacity,c is directly proportional to the amount of heat supplied, Q . This
indicates that the higher the specific heat capacity, the larger the amount of heat can be
absorbed. Therefore, when the metal with a high specific heat capacity was in contact with
any parts of the body, it will transfer more heat energy and eventually cause a more severe
burn.

5. What are the errors and precautions that should be noted during the experiment?

The error that should be noted is the loss of heat through the environment or by
conduction. To ensure that the heat loss is reduced, we must make sure that the lid of the
calorimeter was perfectly closed when conducting the experiment. Likewise, it is also
important to transfer the heated metals to the water inside the calorimeter as fast as
possible. This is because consuming a lot of time to transfer the metals will cause in loss of
energy that will affect the precision of the result. As for the precautions, when measuring
the temperature of the water, the thermometer must not touch the bottom part of the
calorimeter lest the experimental temperature value will differ than the theoretical value.

CONCLUSION

Based on the experiment, the heat capacity of the calorimeter and the specific heat
capacity of aluminium and brass were determined by using the experimental method. The
heat capacity of calorimeter is 229.26 JK -1 and the specific heat capacity of aluminium and
brass are 0.74 J/g°C and 0.31 J/g°C respectively.This means that it takes more energy to
change the temperature of aluminium than brass. A slight error occurred in reading might
come from the heat loss while conducting the experiments and can be defined as systematic
and environment errors. Thus, despite the results, it is conclude that the changes in
temperature will affect the reading of each experiments.

REFERENCES

Clemson University. (2006).PhysicsLab: Specific and Latent Heat.

Retrieved from http://science.clemson.edu/physics/labs/labs/223/spheat/index.html

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Calorimeter. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved

November 1, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/calorimeter

Fitzgerel, R. K., & Verhoek, F. H. (1960). The law of Dulong and Petit. Journal of Chemical
Education, 37(10), 545. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed037p545

Heat capacity,2022 http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/heat-capacity

Libretexts. (2022, August 29). 17.4: Heat capacity and specific heat. Chemistry LibreTexts.
Retrieved November 1, 2022, from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Introductory_Chemistry_(C
K-12)/17%3A_Thermochemistry/17.04%3A_Heat_Capacity_and_Specific_Heat
APPENDIX