Module No.

4
CALORIMETRY
THERMODYNAMICS
SCI 106

Course Description

This is a four (4) unit course that includes the study of basics of thermal energy,
quantitative descriptions of thermal phenomenon such as temperature and heat, transfer of
energy, relationship between heat and work, thermodynamic processes, laws and thermal
effects on matter and the surroundings. This is also an output- based course with the
application of concepts, laws and principles to day to day activities.

Laboratory work is an integral part of this course. This involves dry (exercises,
problem sets) and wet laboratory activities that are done to confirm the correctness of
principles learned.

Total Learning Time: 6 hours per week (1 week)

Overview

This module covers purely the mathematical aspects in thermodynamics specifically

specific heat, heat capacity, calorimetry and methods of mixtures. Basic mathematical
concepts are indeed necessary to better facilitate the problem solving process.

The need for mastering formula transformation or derivation is a skill needed by a

science teacher like you. As you all know, Physics is best understood when applied with
numbers. Mathematics is the language of Physics as they say. As a teacher, you just don’t
need to master the four basic or fundamental operations but you need to level up. More so, to
prove the claim, you need to used equations as support.

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 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students should have:

1. discussed

a. specific heat

b. specific heat capacity

c. calorimetry

d. methods of mixtures

2. computed related problems accurately and patiently

3. applied the above concepts in day to day activities

Indicated content
1. Specific Heat

2. Heat Capacity

3. Calorimetry

4. Methods of Mixtures

5.
Discussion

 The amount of heat Q needed to raise the temperature of a certain substance with a
mass m from temperature T1 to T2 is found proportional to the change in temperature,
ΔT = T2 – T1. The change in temperature ΔT of any substance still depends on its
phase or nature. For example, raising the temperature of a kilogram of water by 1C0
requires 4187 J of heat as compared to a kilogram of aluminum that requires only
910J. This is because water doesn’t heat pup easily as metals. Thus, the heavy required
for temperature change ΔT of a certain material with mass m is

𝑄 = 𝑚𝑐ΔT, (total heat absorbed or released) where c is the specific heat capacity
which is a quantity that varies for different materials.

 The SI unit for specific heat capacity is either J/kg.K or 1J/kg.C0. For a unit mass m =
1 unit and temperature change of one unit (such as ΔT = 1C0) , Q has a magnitude
with c. So, specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to change
the temperature of a unit mass of the substance by one unit degree.

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  The amount of heat it takes to increase the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by
1C0 is known as specific heat of a substance. By definition, the specific heat of water
is numerically 1; that is 1 calorie raises the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1C0.
The specific heat of a given substance in a state (that is solid, liquid or gas) depends
on the temperature but is constant for many substances.

 In metric system, the unit for specific heat is calories per gram degree Celsius
(𝑐𝑎𝑙/𝑔°C)

 Different objects need different amounts of energy to heat up. This explains why there
are substances that become hot quickly and substances that heat up slowly. Also, heat
transfers when two bodies have different temperatures.

 In your calculations, heat Q can be positive or negative. The useful sign convention
for heat is as follows:

1. When heat is absorbed by the body, its temperature increase (T2 > T1). So ΔT and
Q are positive.

2. When heat is released by the body, its temperature decreases (T1 > T2). So ΔT and
Q are negative.

 Methods of Mixtures. To determine the specific heat of a material such as metal,

methods of mixtures is used experimentally. It follows the law of conservation of
energy which is

Heat lost = Heat gained by the system

The law implies that if the energy of an object goes up (its temperature goes up), that
energy is not a newly created energy. The energy comes from the source which is the warm
body. That amount that the warm body lost is the same as the amount the cold body gained. In
some references, the term used is heat exchange. They just literally means the same. It can be
stated as:

Heat gained (by the cold body) + heat lost (by the warm body) = 0

Qlost + Q gained = 0

 Calorimetry means heat. Besides heat is involved in heat transfer. It is also involves in
phase changes such as melting of ice or a body of water. These comprise as well the
variety of problems involving heat.

 In the discussion of heat and thermodynamics, a system is considered. System is any

object or set of objects you choose to consider, everything else in the universe as it is
the “surroundings” or the “environment”. The three types of system are:

1. Closed system – one for which no mass enters or leave (but energy maybe
exchanged with the environment).

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 2. Open system – mass may enter or leave (as may energy). Many (idealized) system
we study in Physics are closed system.

3. Isolated system – is a closed system wherein no energy in any form (as well as no
mass passes across its boundaries. A perfectly ideal system is an isolated system

 Specific Heat of Various Substances

Specific Heat Substance (𝑐𝑎𝑙/𝑔°C)

solids
Aluminum 0.217
Brass 0.090
Carbon, Diamond 0.120
Carbon, Graphite 0.160
Cooper 0.092
Diamond 0.124
Glass, soda 0.16
Gold 0.031
Ice 0.500
Iron 0.113
Lead 0.031
Silver 0.057
Tungsten 0.034
Zinc 0.93
Liquids
Alcohol, ethyl 0.60
Ethanol 0.750
Ethylene, glycol (Prestone) 0.528
Mercury 0.033
Water 1.00
Gases
Air 0.025
Helium 1.240
Hydrogen, (constant pressure) 5.389
Nitrogen 0.25
Oxygen 0.22
Steam 0.48

(NOTE: Some references have slightly different values for c)

Example 1
How many calories of heat will be needed to raise the temperature of 250 g of iron
from 300C to 700C?

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Solution:
Given:
mFe = 250 g Ti = 300C Tf = 700C c = 0.11 cal/ g.0C
Required: Q
T = Tf - Ti
T = 700C - 300C = 400C (40C0)
𝑄 = 𝑚𝑐ΔT
Q = (250 g) (0.11 cal/ g.0C) (400C)
= 1100 cal or 1.1 kcal
(Note: ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT T SHOULD BE 40C0 BUT 400C IS USED
INSTEAD TO BE CONSISTENT ON THE VALUES GIVEN IN THE TABLE FOR c)

Example 2
138.2 g of aluminum was heated to 1100C and mix with 30 g of water at 600C. The
final temperature of the mixture was 800C. Show that the heat given off by aluminum equals
the heat absorbed by the water.

Solution:
Given:
mAl = 138.2 g TAl = 1100C Tw = 500C mw = 30 g
Tm = 800C cAl = 0.217 cal/ g.0C cw = 1.0 cal/ g.0C
Required: Q given off by Al = Q absorbed by water
mAlcAlT = mwcwT
(138.2 g) (cAl = 0.217 cal/ g.0C) (1100C – 800C) = (30 g) (1.0 cal/ g.0C) (800C - 500C)
(138.2 g) (cAl = 0.217 cal/ g.0C) (300C) = (30 g) (1.0 cal/ g.0C) (300C)
900 cal = 900 cal

Example 3
Two hundred grams of coffee at 200C is added to 400 g of water at 1000C. Assuming
that coffee has the same specific heat with water, which is 4.19 kJ/ 𝑘𝑔. 𝐶°, find the
equilibrium temperature of the mixture.

Given:
mc = 200 g mw = 400 g cw and cc = 4.19 kJ/ 𝑘𝑔. 𝐶°,
0
Tc = 20 C Tw = 1000C
Required: equilibrium temperature Tf

Solution:
Q gained = mcc(Tf – Tc)
= mccTf – mccTc and
Q lost = mwc(Tf – Tw)
= mwcTf – mwcTw

Combining these two equation,

Qlost + Q gained = 0

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 mccTf – mccTc + mwcTf – mwcTw = 0
Solving for Tf
Tf = mcTc + mwTw / mc + mw

= (200 g) (200C) + (400 g) (1000C) / 200g + 400 g

= 73.330C

Exercises/Drill

1. How much heat is necessary to raise the temperature of 1000g of ethanol from 200C to
800C? The specific heat of ethanol is 0. 75 𝑐𝑎𝑙/𝑔°C.

2. Two hundred grams of coffee at 200C is added to 400 g of water at 1000C. Assuming that
coffee has the same specific heat with water, which is 4.19 kJ/ 𝑘𝑔. 𝐶°, find the equilibrium
temperature of the mixture.

3. If 200 cm3 of tea at 950C is poured into 150 g glass cup initially at 250C. What will be the
common final temperature T of the tea and tea cup when equilibrium is reached, assuming no
heat flows to the surroundings?

Evaluation

Part I.
1. Calculate the volume of water that overflows when a Pyrex beaker filled to the brim
with 250 cm3 of water at 200C is heater to 600C.
a. 1 cm3 b. 2 cm3 c. 3 cm3 d. 4 cm3
2. If you heat up an object that contains holes and crevices, what happens to those holes?
a. They increase in size at the same rate as the object itself.
b. The increases in size at a rate greater than the object itself.
c. They decrease in size at a rate slower than the object itself.
d. They remain the same. when
3. A high specific heat means
a. It heats up quickly with energy added.
b. It requires more energy to change temperature.
c. It is very hot.
d. It is high in the sky like the sun
4. The specific heat of aluminum is 0.21 J/g0C. How much heat is released when a 5 g
piece of aluminum foil is taken out of the oven and cools from 1500C to 1000C?
a. 5.25J b. 50J c. 50.5J d. 52.5J
5. For a skillet used in cooking, do you want a high or low specific heat?
a. High so that it will need more energy to heat up.
b. Low so that it will change temperature quickly.
c. High so that it will change temperature quickly.
d. Low so that it will need more energy to heat up.

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6. A sample of substance X has a mass of 13.7g is heated to the point where it has
absorbed 199 J of energy and its temperature has risen from 33 0C to 690C. What is
the specific heat of the substance?
a. 0.303 J/ g0C b. 0.403 J/ g0C c. 3.03 J/ g0C d. 4.03 J/ g0C
7. The specific heat of copper is 0.39 J/ g0C. What is the temperature change when 200
J of heat is added to 10 g of copper?
a. 0.5 0C b. 5.0 0C c. 5. 28 0C d. 51.28 0C
8. The following are effects of heat EXCEPT
a. A change in the heat content of a substance can cause chemical changes.
b. All objects has the same expansion when temperature rises
c. Liquid may absorb enough heat to change to vapor state
d. Substances absorb heat when temperature rises
9. As more heat is added to a sample of water boiling in a stove, its temperature
a. Remains the same b. increases c. decreases d. increase
then decrease
10. Ten grams of water at 270C is completely boiled away. The number of calories
absorbed is
a. 270 cal b. 730 cal c. 5400 cal d. 6130 cal

Part II. Answer the following questions or problems comprehensively and accurately
1. During daytime at the beach, the sand is hotter than the water in the sea. Which has a
higher specific heat capacity – the sand or the water? Explain

2. An engineer wishes to determine the specific heat of a new metal alloy. A 0. 0150 kg
sample of alloy is heated to 5400C. It is then quickly placed in 0.400 kg of water at
100C, which is contained in a 0.200 kg aluminum calorimeter cup. The final
temperature of the system is 30.50C. Calculate the specific heat of the alloy.

3. How much heat must be removed from 14 pounds of aluminum in order to cool it from
800F to 150F?

Additional Reading

Topic: Application of Specific Heat and Heat Capacity

Guide Question:
List down the application of specific heat and heat capacity

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 References

a. Books
1. General Physics 1 (2017). Arevalo, Ryan. Diwa Learning Systems, Inc.
2. College Physics (2015). Serway, Raymond and Vuille, Chris. CENGAGE
Learning Philippine Edition
3. Breaking Through Physics (2009) . Santisteban, Celeste and Baguio, Saranay. C
and E Publishing Inc
4. Physics Principles with Applications (2016). Giancoli, Douglas. Pearson
Education South Asia Pte Ltd.
b. Journals
c. Website
1. https://byjus.com/physics/unit-of-heat/
2. http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/light_lessons/thermal/differ.
html

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