Thermodynamics > Heat and the First Law > Heat Capacity

DCS# 4B10.30

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SPECIFIC HEATS OF VARIOUS METALS

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APPARATUS

five metal cylinders	202-11-E2
wooden frame with tracks	202-11-B
wooden holder for cylinders	202-11-B
sheet of paraffin	202-11-B
tea pot	101-12-D
beaker of water	101-01-C

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DESCRIPTION

Five different metal cylinders of equal mass and cross-section are heated to the same temperature in boiling water.  The hot masses are placed atop the edge of a slab of paraffin and allowed to melt paths through the wax.  Their heat capacities can be compared by noting the amount of wax, or path length, melted by each sample.

The holder allows you to transfer the cylinders and place them simultaneously on the paraffin.

NOTES

The samples each have a mass of 65 g.
Their specific heat capacities are:

metal	cp (J/kg�C)
Al	0.90
Cu	0.39
Pb	0.13
Sn	0.23
Zn	0.39