INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF SALT CONCENTRATION ON THE SPECIFIC

HEAT CAPACITY OF WATER

Introduction
As someone who enjoys cooking, one of my most essential ingredients is salt water as it
not only makes vegetables taste better but it also helps them boil faster. However, one time, I left
my salt water on the stove to boil unattended, burning the vegetables because I thought it needed
the same amount of time as plain tap water. Even before taking Physics, I realized that salt water
becomes hotter faster than regular water. The more salt I added, the faster it became hot. But
why? On the other hand, how come salt on ice keeps drinks in a cooler colder for longer? I
realized that adding salt changes some of water’s physical properties like specific heat capacity.
But, these questions have sparked my interest in investigating the relationship between salt
concentration and the specific heat capacity of water with salt to see if there was an optimum
concentration of salt that decreases specific heat capacity the most.

Research Question
For my Physics internal assessment, I decided to investigate the research question:
“What is the relationship between salt concentration and the specific heat capacity of
water?” This research question discusses the topics found in thermal physics such as changing
temperature, specific heat capacity and thermal equilibrium. To answer this, I heated solutions of
water with different concentrations of table salt (NaCl) for a set period of time in an electric
kettle and recorded the change in temperature, which helped me find specific heat capacity.
This research question has many practical applications in culinary arts such as
determining the amount of energy required to bring a substance to a specific material. In this
example, it is important to know how the concentration of salt affects specific heat capacity as it
will allow bakers to avoid burning their vegetables as I did by finding the precise amount of
thermal energy to use.

Background Physics
Physics Equations
The most fundamental idea in thermal physics is the idea that heat is a type of energy that
is transferred from one body to another, but is different for different bodies due to atoms that
make them up (What Is Heat, n.d.).
In order to design the experiment, I looked at the relevant IB Physics equations from the
Thermal Physics section that will accentuate our final results. The first equation I found was for
heat transfer.
𝑄 = 𝑚𝑐∆𝑇

The heat transferred to a system is dependent on mass, specific heat capacity and change
in temperature. My primary focus was on c, or specific heat capacity, which illustrates the
“amount of heat per unit mass needed to raise the temperature by one degree Celsius”
(Specific Heat, n.d.). This is important to remember for the experiment as it will be used to
calculate the dependent variable. When looking at the specific heat capacity of a particular
material, it can be seen that it is “inversely proportional to the product of temperature change and
mass” when thermal energy added is kept constant (Gusev, 2019, p. 20).

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 For instance, as the change in temperature becomes greater, specific heat capacity will
decrease as less energy is required to change the temperature per unit mass. However, with
further investigation, I can also look at the rearranged equation for specific heat capacity.

𝑄
𝑐=
𝑚∆𝑇

The rearranged equation reinforces the inverse relationship between specific heat
capacity and change in temperature and mass. Therefore, in order to investigate how salt
concentration changes specific heat capacity, I need to keep Q constant. This is true because
increasing the amount thermal energy utilized means that the average kinetic energy of the atoms
increases, which increases temperature. Therefore, I will change the concentration of salt of a
constant volume of water that receives a constant source of thermal energy to examine how only
an increase in salt is changing the specific heat capacity. Moreover, my unprocessed data table
will most likely collect the change in temperature that will be used in calculating the specific
heat capacity of water at each concentration
In order to maintain a constant flow of thermal energy, I needed a source of heat. Most of
the time, the power of the appliance is known so I can find energy by multiplying the power with
the change in time of the experiment. However, another thing to take into consideration is the
fact the power given by an appliance is not the effective heating power, the power from the input
the appliance actually uses to heat the water. In order to find this value, I heated up 100 mL
(0.100kg) water for 5 minutes and used the heat transfer equation with the specific heat capacity
of glass being 840 𝐽 ∙ 𝑘𝑔℃. The specific heat capacity of glass is also considered because when
an external source of thermal energy is added, the glass (which in this case, was a calorimeter, an
object used to measure specific heat capacity) absorbs a portion of energy to reach thermal
equilibrium. In other words, the heat transferred to the salt water does not represent the total
energy from the appliance. Therefore, in order to find total energy to the system, the heat
transferred to both the glass and water must be considered. On a side note, in order to ensure
that the energy transferred stayed constant for the entirety of my experiment, I planned to run the
experiment for only 5 minutes.

𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑚𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇 + 𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇

𝑄 = [(0.450 ± 0.001𝑘𝑔) × (840 𝐽 ∙ 𝑘𝑔℃) × (30.3 ± 0.1℃)]

+ [(0.100 ± 0.001𝑘𝑔) × (4184 𝐽 ∙ 𝑘𝑔℃) × (30.3 ± 0.1℃)]

𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = [11,450 ± 70𝐽] + [12,700 ± 200𝐽] = 24,150 ± 270 ≈ 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟎 ± 𝟑𝟎𝟎𝑱

However, this is the heat being transferred to both the salt water and calorimeter. The
equation below shows the total energy from the heat source equals the heat of the water and the
heat of the calorimeter
𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑄𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 + 𝑄𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝑄𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 − 𝑄𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟

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 Therefore, I also needed to find heat transferred to the calorimeter.

𝑄𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 𝑚𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇

Finally, the equation for the specific heat capacity of water is as follows.

(𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ) − (𝑚𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇)

𝑐𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 =
𝑚𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇

Physics Concepts
However, in order to fully understand the relationship between salt concentration and
specific heat capacity, it is imperative to discuss the 1st Law of Thermodynamics, which states
that energy must be conserved in a system and energy can only be converted to other forms or
transferred between objects (Hall, 2015). As stated before, heat is transferred from the warmer
object to the colder object because warm objects have higher kinetic energy that collide more
often with the atoms of colder objects (Bergman et al., 2011, p. 677). The heat continues to
transfer until thermal equilibrium, the state at which both objects are at the same temperature and
there is no net flow of thermal energy, is reached (Ben-Zvi et al., 1993). However, as a constant
rate of thermal energy is transferred from an external source via convection, the objects will
never reach thermal equilibrium as there is a continued heat transfer from hot to cold.
In terms of my experiment, the substance with the lower specific heat capacity will heat
up quicker than the substance with a higher specific heat capacity as it needs less energy to
change its temperature. When looking at literature’s specific heat capacities, water is 4,184 J/kg
C while salt is 880 J/kg C (Heat Capacity, n.d.). These values suggest that when flow of thermal
energy is kept constant, adding more salt will increase the concentration of an object with low
specific heat capacity. When adding thermal energy, the calorimeter will transfer heat to the salt,
which will continue to transfer heat to water, increasing the water’s temperature and decreasing
specific heat capacity in the process.
Another valid explanation in literature is that when salt is dissolved in water, the ionic
bonds of NaCl are broken and the water molecules act as electric dipoles that are attracted to
sodium and chloride ions in salt, resulting in high pressure and “considerably changes specific
heat capacity of water” (Zwicky, 1926, p. 87). Therefore, as pressure increases when salt
concentration increases, specific heat capacity will subsequently decrease and increase
temperature quicker.
From the background knowledge I collected on thermal physics and molecular theories of
solutions, I hypothesize that as I increase the salt concentration, specific heat capacity will
decrease.

Miscellaneous Equations
This are some other equations I used to prepare my independent variable of salt
concentrations.
In order to find the mass of my solution for the specific heat capacity eqaution, I used:

𝑚𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 𝑚𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 + (𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟+𝑏𝑜𝑤𝑙 − 𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑤𝑙 )

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 To find concentration of solution, I used:

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

Planning the Experiment

As this is an experiment concerning thermal physics and heat transfer, I realized that I
will have to use calorimeter in order to prevent any energy other than my heat source from
escaping or entering the set-up. However, since I was doing this experiment at home, I decided
to use two stacked stovetop-safe glass bowls that highly resembled the calorimeters I saw and
was able to withstand heat. The inner bowl (blue) housed my salt water, while the outside bowl
(green) was in contact with the heat source. Since glass was the best option I had for an insulator,
I used two stacked bowls that had a pocket of air (an insulator) in between, allowing for minimal
heat loss.

Figure 1: Diagram of Calorimeter Setup

Another integral part of the experiment I had to determine was my constant heat source.
Some of the experiments that looked similar to mine used electrical setup to ensure that the
calorimeter received consistent amounts of energy. In order to mimic this idea using household
materials, I chose to use an electric stovetop whose power I knew beforehand.
In order to prevent any inconsistencies in type of water or salt, I used salt from Morton
Salt and water from Wellsley Farms Purified Water.
Some other equipment I used were a thermometer (±0.1 ºC) to measure the initial and
final temperature, a stopwatch (±0.01 s) to time the experiment, kitchen scale (±0.1 g) to weigh
my water and salt and a measuring cup (±10 mL) to find the volume of the salt water.

Procedure
The diagram below shows my final set-up to run the experiment. I placed my calorimeter
on the stovetop and turned it on to “low” as it is the power level I know. First, I measured the
mass of my measuring cup. Then, I measured out the different amounts of salt on the kitchen
scale, placed it in the cup, and filled it with water until the solution was 100mL. Next, I
measured the solution on the kitchen scale. Then, I mixed the salt with the water for two minutes,
making sure to stir vigorously. I took the initial temperature of my solution, placed it in the inner

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bowl of the calorimeter, and covered with a lid, making sure to start timing for 5 minutes or 300
seconds. After time was up, I turned off the stove and took the final temperature reading
immediately. I discarded the water and repeated for 5 trials before changing the concentration.
To change the concentration, I kept the volume of water constant but increased salt by 1 gram.

Figure 2: Experiment Setup. Kitchen scale not shown

Independent & Dependent Variables

My independent variable, salt concentration, was calculated using the equation mentioned
in Background. I knew the graph would most likely represent a linear relationship, so I needed to
pick a good range of low and high concentrations that would demonstrate the decrease in specific
heat capacity. I decided to start with plain water, or 0% salt concentration, so I can check the
accuracy of my lab. Afterward, I increased concentration by 10% for 5 total levels (0, 10, 20, 30,
40). This was important as it would provide a diverse array of values to support or disprove my
hypothesis.
My dependent variable, specific heat capacity, was calculated by finding the change in
initial and final temperature during the lab. In order to find specific heat capacity, I planned on
averaging the change of temperature for each level and plug it in to the specific cheat capacity
equation.

Control Variables
One of my control variables was keeping the power of my heat source constant at 100W
(24,200 J as calculated in Background Physics) because from the perspective of specific heat
capacity, in order to see the difference salt concentration makes on change in temperature,
energy added needs to be constant. Some other variables I kept constant were my calorimeter
setup in order to not change the energy received by the salt water, time to run the experiment and
the temperature of the room where I plan on running the experiment. As stated before, I also
used the same brand of water and salt for each trial to prevent any inconsistences.

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 Reducing Error
Due to the delicate nature of the experiment, I decided to use 5 trials for change in
temperature in order to make sure my results were consistent and did not alter outside the
uncertainty. I would also make sure to time each trial for exactly 5 minutes and keep my heat
constant.

Safety and Environmental Concerns

Since I was dealing with hot objects, I used oven mitts when changing out the water and
disassembling the calorimeter after collecting data. Salt water can easily be drained in a
household sink, so there were no ethical or environmental concerns.

Collecting Data
My data table is comprised of the initial and final temperature reading of the salt water
after 5 minutes in the calorimeter. The uncertainty of salt added and temperature was given to me
by my kitchen scale and digital thermometer respectively that reads out to the tenths place. Since
they are both digital devices, the uncertainty is ±0.1 g for salt and ±0.1 ℃ for temperature.

The Initial and Final Temperature of a 100g of Water with Various Concentrations of Salt Heated
By 24,200J in 300 Seconds
Temperature (±0.1 C)
Amount of
Salt in Water Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5
(±0.1g)
Initial Final Initial Final Initial Final Initial Final Initial Final

0.0 23.5 53.8 19.4 50.2 18.9 46.8 19.4 50.4 20.6 52.7
1.0 17.8 50.2 18.5 51.5 18.6 51.3 18.5 50.7 18.3 52.2

2.0 16.6 50.9 16.5 50.4 17.8 52.2 17.6 51.9 16.4 51.0
3.0 18.8 53.5 18.5 54.2 16.5 54.4 18.2 53.1 18.4 53.2

4.0 17.5 56.3 18.1 56.2 18.2 55.7 18.0 55.8 17.9 54.9
Table 1: Collected Values for Initial and Final Temperature of Water with Various
Concentrations of Salt Heated by 24,200J in 300 Seconds

In order to find change in temperature, I subtracted the initial value from the final value,

∆𝑇 = 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 − 𝐼𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒

∆𝑇 = 53.8 − 23.5 = 30.3℃

I used the calculations to make another data table comparing salt added to change in
temperature. The uncertainty of change in temperature can be found by adding the uncertainties
of the initial and final temperature together to get ±0.2 ºC.

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 Temperature Change of Water with Various Concentrations of Salt Heated By 24,200J In
300 Seconds

Change in Temperature (±0.2 C)

Amount of Salt
in Water (±0.1g) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5

0.0 30.3 30.8 27.9 31.0 32.1

1.0 32.4 33.0 32.7 32.2 33.9
2.0 32.3 33.9 34.4 34.3 34.6
3.0 34.7 35.7 37.9 34.9 34.8
4.0 38.8 39.1 37.5 37.8 37.0
Table 2: Calculated Values For Temperature Change of Water With Various
Concentrations of Salt Heated By 24,200J in 300 Seconds

Observations
While running the experiment, I noticed that salt tended to dissolve faster when being
heated rather than when I first add it to my water, which explains how water molecules are
attracted to the separate sodium and chlorine ions. In addition, I noticed that as I added more salt,
there was more evidence of condensation on my lid, suggesting the water was heating up faster. I
could not feel how hot the water was as I wore oven mitts, but I did notice that there was an odor
that slightly smelled of the ocean. Finally, I realized that the thermometer I used was lagging and
caused the temperature to fluctuate while I wrote down the final temperature. This lag could have
caused errors that can be reduced with further calculations.

Data Analysis
Salt Concentration
The first step I took was converting my water measurements from mL to L by dividing by
1000. To find the new uncertainty, I divided water’s old uncertainty by the constant (1000). In
order to figure out salt concentration for my independent variable, I used my concentration
equation. I got uncertainty by adding together the fractional uncertainties of amount of salt and
water volume together.

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
1.0 ± 0.1𝑔
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = = 𝟏𝟎 ± 𝟐𝒈/𝑳
0.10 ± 0.01𝐿
Specific Heat Capacity
Next, I needed to find the total mass of salt and water in kilograms. I found this my
adding the masses and converting to kilograms (divide by 1000). This is important as mass must
be in kilograms for the specific heat capacity equation. Then, I took the average of the change in
temperature by adding the times for all the trials and dividing by the number of trials. I found my
new uncertainty by adding the uncertainties for each of the five trials and dividing it by 5.

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Finally, I calculated specific heat capacity using the information I have gathered. This is crucial
as it is the dependent variable of the lab.

(𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ) − (𝑚𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇)

𝑐𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 =
𝑚𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 ∆𝑇

(24200±300𝐽)−[(0.450±0.001𝑘𝑔)×(840 𝐽∙𝑘𝑔℃)×(30.4±0.2℃)]
𝑐𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 = [(0.1000±0.0002𝑘𝑔)×(30.4±0.2℃)]
= 𝟒𝟏𝟎𝟎 ± 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝑱/𝒌𝒈℃

After all the calculations, I got the results table comparing specific heat capacity to
various concentrations of salt.

Results Table: The Relationship Between Specific Heat Capacity and Salt Concentration

Salt Concentration (g/L) Specific Heat Capacity (𝑱/𝒌𝒈℃)

0 4100 ± 200
10 ± 2 3600 ± 200
20 ± 3 3200 ± 100
30 ± 4 2900 ± 100
40 ± 5 2500 ± 100
Table 3: Results Table for Specific Heat Capacity And Salt Concentration

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 Using the results table, I got the analysis graph by using the salt concentration as the
independent variable and specific heat capacity as the dependent variable. There was no salt
concentration uncertainty for plain water as it is not possible.

Figure 3: Specific Heat Capacity vs. Salt Concentration

Lines of minimum and maximum were used to find the uncertainty of the slope.

𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑚𝑖𝑛 |−46.67 + 32.81|

Δ𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = = = 6.93 ≈ 7
2 2

Therefore, the final slope is -39 ± 7 J/kg ºC/g/L, which can be simplified to JL/kg g ºC.
The units are equal to product of specific heat capacity and the inverse of salt concentration.

Conclusion

The research question I explored was “What is the relationship between salt
concentration and the specific heat capacity of water.” The data graphed in Figure 3 shows a
negative linear relationship between specific heat capacity and salt concentration. Although the
slope itself cannot be compared to a scientific value, the y-intercept represent my experimental
value of specific heat capacity for salt less water (4040 𝐽/𝑘𝑔℃). As the actual value is 4184
𝐽/𝑘𝑔℃, the percent error for this lab is 3.44%, which is very low and means that the data and
slope were accurate and close to the theoretical value. Moreover, Figure 3 supports the overall

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relationship derived in Background Physics as the negative slope illustrates that specific heat
capacity decreases as salt concentration increases.

Evaluation
Weaknesses & Improvements
I believe that one of the primary weaknesses in the experimental method was my
homemade calorimeter. The two bowls did not fit snuggly and even though it could have let
some of the heat escape from the system, I assumed that all energy was conserved in only the
system. This assumption could have changed the amount of energy that was actually transferred
to the salt water and therefore, the change in temperature. Moreover, the stove top I used as my
source of heat could have unevenly distributed the heat to the calorimeter, affecting the transfer
of energy. The spoon I used to mix my solution was metal, which could have conducted some of
the heat, leading to either a systematic or random error in the initial temperature. Overall, heat
loss could have affected the data as when looking at the heat transfer equation, less heat
transferred would result in a smaller change in temperature, higher specific heat capacity and a
smaller numerical value for slope.
My method can be improved by using an actual calorimeter that is insulated in order to
prevent heat loss and comes with its own stirrer. In addition, instead of using a stovetop, I could
have used a heating rod so that the heat is directly transferred to the water rather than through an
intermediary like my glass calorimeter. Both improvements would minimize heat loss and allow
for a more comprehensive investigation; minimal heat loss would allow for a larger and realistic
temperature change, smaller specific heat capacities, and a steeper slope.
Another weakness in my experiment was that my thermometer that was meant for
cooking was extremely cheap and fluctuated constantly, meaning that the recorded temperatures
were not fully accurate. This would have caused a systematic error in the calculation of
temperature change and specific heat capacity. This could be easily improved by using a
reputable scientific thermometer. After the time for data collection was finished, I had to transfer
my calorimeter to the counter, which could have skewed the time at which I took my temperature
reading (a random error). This could also be fixed by a standalone calorimeter that doesn’t
require a stove.
Since I split my data collection to multiple days due to time constraints, the initial
temperature of my water fluctuated, a random error which could have affected how fast the salt
water increased its temperature and skew the change in temperature. I could improve this by
completing data collection in one day and keeping the water in one place ahead of time so they
would all be at room temperature.
Some other conditions I did not consider when performing the experiment was the fact I
did near a window on a sunny day and central air-conditioning on, both of which are systematic
errors. They could have affected the extent to which temperature changed in the solution as the
sun could have provided more heat while the AC would have cooled the solution. Although the
air-conditioning cannot be fully controlled in a building, I could perform my data collection in a
temperature-controlled room that cannot be affected by other forms of heat like sunlight.
When collecting my data, I noticed that the change in temperature fluctuated more than
the uncertainty, which meant it was not as accurate as it could have been. This would also
explain why my error bars were big in Figure 3 and why my linear line barely touches any of my
data points (it only goes through the error bars). Overall, this experiment could be improved with

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more trials with the improvements I have discussed before as it will allow me to notice any
deviation in my data and calculate specific heat capacity while reducing error.

Strengths
Although there were many weaknesses, I believe my experiment also had its strengths.
One such example would be my digital thermometer because even though the
temperature fluctuated, I was able to get my final temperature extremely fast. This is very helpful
to get an accurate final temperature exactly when the time is up.
My idea of using an electric stove also helped as it, with a constant source of electricity
flowing through the coils, is more precise than my gas stove that produces a fluctuating fire as
the source of heat due to its age. This most likely allowed for my calorimeter to receive the same
amount of energy each time, helping to keep an integral variable constant.
Another strength was using an actual stopwatch because it has a low uncertainty of
±0.01s, meaning that the timing of my experiment was precise and held constant through all my
trials. Something I could have done to reduce the human reaction error in stopping the stopwatch
would be to have a timer running instead as it meant for measuring specific time intervals.
In terms of my procedure, I was thorough when I mixed the salt into the water first as it
allowed it to dissolve and produce a more homogenous solution, which would ensure that
thermal equilibrium between the two substances was reached. Finally, the levels I chose were
another strength as they ensured that I got a wide array of data although I could have done more
levels of 50 and 60 g/L concentrations to see if this relation exists at higher concentrations.
Overall, I believe that even though I had limited access to scientific supplies, my
experiment provided strong support to my original hypothesis as well as the thermodynamics
theories.

Further Exploration
To further investigate this topic, I could look at the relationship between specific heat
capacity and different concentrations of other substances like sugar or lactose. This would be
interesting addition to my experiment as both substances also have a low specific heat capacity
and therefore, it is possible it will decrease the specific heat capacity of the overall solution.
Another extension could be how a constant concentration of different salts, which have different
chemical compositions and weaker ionic bonds that could result in less pressure (see Background
Physics), affect specific heat capacity. Lastly, another extension would be to see how the phase
of a substance (liquid, gas, ice) affects specific heat capacity. This is important to explore as it is
known that gases have faster moving particles, which could increase the heat of the water faster
and therefore, increase specific heat more.

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 References

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