T2

Physics Lab T2 Specific Heat Capacity by an Electrical Method Using a Cooling Correction Data Collection Voltage = 8V Current = 0.80A Mass = 1.00673 Data Processing VIt  mcT V I t  T mc slope = V I mc V I c m  slope 0.0164  8  0.80 1.00673  c c  387.6 Jkg-1oC Conclusion The literal value of the specific heat capacity of copper is 385 Jkg-1oC  385  387.6 The accuracy = 1   385     100%   = 99.3% In this experiment, the calculated specific heat capacity of copper (c) is 387.6 Jkg-1oC. The accuracy is 99.3% which is pretty high. However, due to some errors when conducting the experiment, the calculated specific heat capacity c is affected and shall be discussed in the evaluation section. Evaluation There are a few errors when collecting data which lead to inaccuracy and imprecision. 1. As the filament is still submerged in the metal block, the remaining heat of the filament will transfer to the metal block even after the filament is turned off. The 2. metal block will not cool down during this time and therefore the temperature remains the same after the filament is turned off. The thermometer which is fitted in the metal block will absorb some energy produced by the filament. As the real mass (including the mass of thermometer) V I is greater. According to c  , the calculated specific heat capacity is m  slope therefore smaller. The heat in the metal block is not evenly distributed which means the temperature change is not referring to the whole metal block. The area near the filament will have a greater increase in temperature while the outer area will have a greater drop in temperature as it is exposed to the environment. This uneven distribution of heat transfer means the calculated temperature change is not accurate. 3.