Specific heat (also called specific heat capacity) is the amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1.00 g of a substance by 1.00 degrees C. The specific heat values for substances are determined by experimentally determining the amount of heat transferred by a substance of known mass as its temperature rises or falls. Specific heat is important in thermochemistry because it enables us to determine quantities of heat transferred during a chemical change.
The objective of this module is to demonstrate the effect of differing specific heats by simulating a laboratory experiment. Three different substances (wood, copper, and glass) are represented; each absorbs energy when heated with a Bunsen burner flame. The specific heats of the compounds are easily determined using the following formula:
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Select the size of the three compounds by clicking on one of the
Mass of Block option buttons. Each block can be either 2.00 g
or 5.00 g.
2. Select the quantity of heat to be transferred by adjusting the flame
time from 1 to 5 seconds using the Flame Time scroll bar. For every
second, 50 joules of energy is transferred.
3. Click on the Heat button to light the Bunsen burners and begin the
experiment.
4. Observe the Final Temperature for each block. The temperatures
are displayed underneath the Bunsen burners when the experiment is
complete.
5. Click on the Reset button to begin a new experiment.
