Determination of specific heat capacity of a solid by using the methods of mixtures
The specific capacity of heat is defined as the amount of heat which is required for one gram of substance at 1⁰C. To understand how to determine the specific heat capacity of a given solid by the method of mixtures we need to read the full article.
Prime Aim of The Experiment is To Determine The Specific Heat Capacity of Solid
This experiment is one of the most famous experiments that a student can come across in their academic life. A brilliant experiment that teaches the fundamentals of how specific heat capacity works and how exactly are students supposed to go about it. Students need to make sure that they are reading this article very thoroughly. This is because, when students are paying attention to the details of an experiment, only then they will be able to draw inferences from every single tiny thing that happens in the experiment.
When you perform the entire procedure of the experiment in your class, we suggest that you carry this document every time you get into the lab. Being a student of physics takes a good amount of self-study and we believe that this article is going to be very helpful for you to get a good idea of what you want to be looking for and how exactly you should be going about the experiment whenever you are performing it in the laboratory.
Determining the specific heat capacity of a given solid by a method of mixtures is a great way to understand the details and the functioning of how specific heat works. For students who may have had doubts in the initial times of the topic, this experiment proves how specific heat works thereby clarifying your doubts. We recommend that you pay attention to this experiment very carefully and ask as many questions as possible whenever you are in doubt.
Questions in learning make us better students and better learners. They open up opportunities for growth and that is something that every student must learn and understand. Therefore, it is crucial to ask questions throughout the entire experiment and make sure that you are getting all the knowledge from it. Vedantu wishes you luck and proudly presents this detailed article on the experiment to determine the specific heat capacity of a given solid by the method of mixtures.
Aim of the Experiment:
To determine the specific heat capacity of a given solid by the method of mixtures.
The materials which are required:
The Hypsometer
The calorimeter
The stirrer
A lid
A solid which is in small pieces
The balance
The Weight box
The Two half-degree of thermometer
Some Coldwater
Note- Make sure that whenever you are conducting the experiment, you happen to have all these materials handy. Another important thing that Vedantu would suggest is to make sure that students are taking the right safety measures while being in the laboratory so that they can conduct the entire experiment properly and with all safety.
Determination of Specific Heat of a Solid
It is very important to note for us that in this experiment the better insulated our calorimeter is the more accurate our results will be. The loss of heat by conduction is the main cause of error in this experiment.
The theory behind this specific heat test is based on the conservation of energy. Heat is a form of energy and in this case, it will be transferred between the sample and water. It should now be clear how convenient this specific capacity of heat test is because the only reason to perform this experiment is to measure the change in temperature of the water which is indirect to the change in heat of the solid.
The Theory
In a hypsometer, the solid is heated uniformly above room temperature up to a fixed temperature and then it is added to cold water in a calorimeter.
Loss of heat = heat gained by the calorimeter and water.
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Procedure
Put two thermometers that are A and B in a beaker that are containing water and note their reading. Take one of them (say A) to be standard and find the correction to be applied to the other that is B.
Now we need to put thermometer B in a copper tube of a hypsometer containing the power of a given solid. We need to put sufficient water in the hypsometer and place it on a burner.
Weigh the calorimeter with a stirrer and lid over it by the physical balance. We need to record it.
Then fill about half of the calorimeter with water that too at about 5 to 8°C below room temperature. Now we need to weigh it again and record it.
Heat the hypsometer for about 10 minutes till the temperature of the solid remains steady.
Next, we need to note the temperature of water in the calorimeter. Transfer the solid from the hypsometer to the calorimeter quickly and then stir the contents and record the final temperature of the mixture.
Then in the end we need to remove thermometer A from the calorimeter and weigh the calorimeter with its contents and lid.
The Result
The specific heat of given solid by the method of the mixture is…………cal g-1 °C-1
The Precautions
Sufficient solid power should be taken to cover the tip of the thermometer properly.
Sufficient water should be taken in the hypsometer.
The solid should be dropped quickly and gently.
The calorimeters generally should be polished from the outside to avoid excessive radiation losses.
The temperature of cold water should not be below the dew point.
The Sources of Error
There is some heat lost while transferring hot solid into a calorimeter.
There may be some heat lost in conduction, convection, and radiation.
The bulbs which are on the thermometer may not be well inside the solid.
The specific heat of the solid is already calculated earlier.
Heat Capacity of Solids
The heat capacity of a substance is related to how much energy it takes to raise the temperature of that substance by one unit. It depends upon how much of the substance is being considered in terms of the amount of energy standardized per unit of the substance. The standardized unit could be a unit of mass. The standardized unit that generally makes a comparison between different substances easiest is a mole amount containing Avogadro's number which is 6.025×1023 of molecules or the atoms as single unit molecules.
The capacity of heat per unit substance (denoted by C) is the increase in internal energy of a substance U. Per unit increase in temperature is denoted by \[T:C = \frac{∂U}{∂T}\]
We need to note that the surface area of our sample is in relation to its mass. The more the mass of our sample, the more heat it will absorb and then give off, which means the result will be more accurate
Conclusion
We hope that students carry out the entire experiment with a teacher before carrying it out themselves. The experiment aims to teach you how to Determine the Specific Heat Capacity of a Given Solid by Method of Mixtures and is a very crucial part of the idea and concept behind specific heat.
A couple of things that Vedantu would like to emphasize is to make sure that you are staying safe in the lab and carrying out all the activities with all the necessary equipment to ensure the safety of your fellow peers as well.
Lastly, we hope that this article was able to break all the details down in a simple yet effective manner for you to understand what the entire experiment of Determining the Specific Heat Capacity of Given Solid by Method of Mixtures was.
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FAQs on To Determine Specific Heat Capacity of Given Solid by Method of Mixtures
1. What is the method of mixtures used for in Physics experiments?
The method of mixtures is a practical technique used in calorimetry to determine the specific heat capacity of a substance, such as a solid or a liquid. It operates on the fundamental principle of calorimetry, which states that when a hot body and a cold body are in thermal contact, the heat lost by the hot body is equal to the heat gained by the cold body, assuming no heat is lost to the surroundings.
2. What is the procedure to find the specific heat capacity of a solid using this method?
To find the specific heat capacity of a given solid, you generally follow these steps:
- First, measure the mass of the empty calorimeter with its stirrer and lid. Then, fill it about halfway with water and measure the mass again to find the mass of the water.
- Measure the initial temperature of the water in the calorimeter.
- Heat the given solid to a steady, known temperature using a heater, and measure this temperature.
- Quickly transfer the hot solid into the calorimeter, close the lid, and stir gently until the temperature of the mixture becomes constant. Record this final temperature.
- Using the principle of calorimetry, you can then calculate the specific heat capacity of the solid.
3. What is the formula used to calculate the specific heat capacity of a solid in this experiment?
The calculation is based on the heat exchange principle. The formula equates the heat lost by the hot solid to the heat gained by the cooler water and the calorimeter. It is expressed as:
Heat Lost by Solid = Heat Gained by Water + Heat Gained by Calorimeter
This translates to the equation: m₁s₁(T₁ - T) = m₂s₂(T - T₂) + m₃s₃(T - T₂), where 'm' is mass, 's' is specific heat capacity, and 'T' represents the different temperatures.
4. What are some important precautions to take during this experiment to get an accurate result?
To ensure accuracy, several precautions are crucial:
- The hot solid should be transferred to the calorimeter as quickly as possible to minimise heat loss to the surroundings during the transfer.
- The calorimeter should be polished on the outside and kept in an insulating wooden box to further reduce heat loss by radiation and convection.
- Stir the mixture gently but thoroughly to ensure a uniform temperature throughout the water.
- When measuring temperature, your eye should be level with the mercury or alcohol level in the thermometer to avoid parallax error.
5. Why is a copper calorimeter typically used in the method of mixtures experiment?
A calorimeter made of copper is preferred for two main reasons. First, copper is a good conductor of heat, which allows the heat to distribute quickly and evenly throughout the contents, helping the mixture reach a final, uniform temperature faster. Second, copper has a low specific heat capacity, meaning it absorbs very little heat from the experiment itself, leading to a more accurate measurement for the substance being tested.
6. What is the scientific principle behind the method of mixtures?
The scientific principle is the law of conservation of energy applied to heat exchange. It is formally known as the principle of calorimetry. This principle assumes the system (calorimeter, water, and solid) is thermally isolated. In such a system, energy is simply transferred from the hotter object to the colder ones, with no net loss or gain of heat, until they all reach a common temperature known as thermal equilibrium.
7. What materials are required to perform the experiment to determine the specific heat capacity of a solid?
To conduct this experiment, you will need the following:
- A calorimeter with a stirrer and a lid
- Two thermometers (to measure different temperatures accurately)
- The solid sample whose specific heat is to be determined
- Water
- A physical or digital balance for measuring mass
- A heating apparatus, such as a steam heater or beaker with hot water
- An insulating wooden box to house the calorimeter
