CALORIMETER PRACTICE PROBLEMS – 1
1. Find the specific heat of copper experimentally…Assume you put a 12.0g sample of copper in a beaker containing
boiling water (100.00°C) for a few minutes and then placed it in a calorimeter containing 100.0 mL of water at 25.00°C.
After adding the copper, you determined the temperature of the calorimeter to be 26.25°C. Remember, Cwater = 4.184
J/g°C
2. Find the specific heat of aluminum experimentally…Assume you put a 13.0g sample of aluminum in a beaker
containing 250.0 mL of boiling water for a few minutes and then placed it in a calorimeter containing 100.0 mL of water
at 25.00°C. At equilibrium, you determined the temperature of the calorimeter to be 27.15°C.
3. The accepted values for the specific heats of copper and aluminum are 0.386 J/g°C and 0.90 J/g°C respectively. What
was your percent error for each of these calculations? (HINT: formula for % error = ((experimental –
actual)/actual)x100)
4. A 50.0 g hot piece of copper is dropped into a calorimeter with 90.0 mL of water at 22°C. After reaching equilibrium
the temperature of the water is 45.00°C.
a. How much energy did the water absorb? Cwater = 4.184 J/g°C
b. If the specific heat of copper is 0.386 J/g°C, what was the original temperature of the copper?
CALORIMETER PRACTICE PROBLEMS – 1
1. Find the specific heat of copper experimentally…Assume you put a 12.0g sample of copper in a beaker containing
boiling water (100.00°C) for a few minutes and then placed it in a calorimeter containing 100.0 mL of water at 25.00°C.
After adding the copper, you determined the temperature of the calorimeter to be 26.25°C. Remember, Cwater = 4.184
J/g°C
2. Find the specific heat of aluminum experimentally…Assume you put a 13.0g sample of aluminum in a beaker
containing 250.0 mL of boiling water for a few minutes and then placed it in a calorimeter containing 100.0 mL of water
at 25.00°C. At equilibrium, you determined the temperature of the calorimeter to be 27.15°C.
3. The accepted values for the specific heats of copper and aluminum are 0.386 J/g°C and 0.90 J/g°C respectively. What
was your percent error for each of these calculations? (HINT: formula for % error = ((experimental –
actual)/actual)x100)
4. A 50.0 g hot piece of copper is dropped into a calorimeter with 90.0 mL of water at 22°C. After reaching equilibrium
the temperature of the water is 45.00°C.
a. How much energy did the water absorb? Cwater = 4.184 J/g°C
b. If the specific heat of copper is 0.386 J/g°C, what was the original temperature of the copper?