Name: ______Period: ______

Thermal Energy Lab

Materials:

  • Electric Burner
  • Thermocouple
  • Digital Scale
  • Metal Weight
  • 250 mL Beaker
  • Graduated Cylinder
  • Water
  • Stop Watch
  • Tongs
  • 2 Styrofoam Cup

Fill the 250 mL beaker with 100 mL of room temperature water.

Use the digital scale to measure the following masses.

  1. What is the mass of just the water? ______
  2. What is the mass of the metal weight? ______

Turn the burner on to medium heat. Place the weight into the beaker and start heating up the water on the electric burner. Use the Thermocouple to measure the increase temperature of the water and the weight in the beaker. Measure the temperature every 30 s and record the data in the table. Calculate the energy gained by the water.

Time (m:ss) / Time (s) / Temperature (°C) / Energy Added (Q = cmΔT) use T0 for all of your Ti
0:00 / 0 / 0 J
0:30 / 30
1:00 / 60
1:30 / 90
2:00 / 120
2:30 / 150
3:00 / 180
3:30 / 210
4:00 / 240
4:30 / 270
5:00 / 300
5:30 / 330
6:00 / 360
6:30 / 390
7:00 / 420
7:30 / 450
8:00 / 480
8:30 / 510
9:00 / 540
9:30 / 570
10:00 / 600

Use the table above to make a graph of the change of temperature over time. The time should be on the x-axis and the temperate should be on the y-axis.


Use the table above to make a graph of the change of energy over time. The energy should be on the x-axis and the temperate should be on the y-axis.


  1. At what point in time did the graph’s slope stop increasing? ______
  2. Why did the temperature stop increasing even though heat was still being applied? ______

______

Fill the Styrofoam cup with 50 mL of room temperature water. Use the Thermocouple to measure the increase temperature of the water once the weight is added to the water.

  1. What is the mass for 50 mL of water? ______
  2. What is the initial temperature of the weight before removing it from the beaker and placing it in the room temperature water (Table 1)? ______

Measure the temperature every 30 s and record the data in the table. Calculate the energy add to the water by the hot metal weight.

Time (m:ss) / Time (s) / Temperature (°C) / Energy Added (Q = cmΔT) use T0 for all of your Ti
0:00 / 0 / 0 J
0:30 / 30
1:00 / 60
1:30 / 90
2:00 / 120
2:30 / 150
3:00 / 180
3:30 / 210
4:00 / 240
4:30 / 270
5:00 / 300
5:30 / 330
6:00 / 360
6:30 / 390
7:00 / 420
7:30 / 450
8:00 / 480
8:30 / 510
9:00 / 540
9:30 / 570
10:00 / 600
  1. How much energy did the water gain from the weight? ______
  1. How much energy did the weight loose to the water? ______
  2. What is the final temperature of the weight after sitting in the room temperature water? ______
  1. Use the information from questions 2, 6, 8, and 9 to find the specific heat of the metal weight.
  1. Use the Specific Heat of Materials table found in your notes to identify the material of the metal weight.

Use the table above to make a graph of the change of temperature over time. The time should be on the x-axis and the temperate should be on the y-axis.