Suppose you put 50mL of water in the can instead of 100mL and heated it to 40 degrees instead of 20 degrees. In what ways, if any, would this afect the results of the experiment? What would happen if you used 200mL of water and heated it only 10 degrees? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages in useing either 50mL or 200mL of water in this experiment?
It would help to know what the experiment was.
we had 100ml of water in a can and measured the temp of the water cold 23degree c, and then we heated the water with methanol to increase 20 degrees. blew out methanol and marked how how temp of water went.
To understand how these changes in the amount of water and temperature would affect the results of the experiment, we need to understand the key factors involved and their roles in the experiment.
In this experiment, the amount of water and its initial temperature before heating are the two variables being modified. The objective is to determine the specific heat capacity of the water by measuring the change in temperature after applying a known amount of heat.
1. If you put only 50mL of water instead of 100mL:
- The smaller volume of water would require less heat energy to raise its temperature compared to the 100mL volume.
- Consequently, the temperature increase would be larger for the same amount of heat applied since less heat is required to raise the temperature of the smaller volume.
- The obtained specific heat capacity of the water would likely be higher than expected due to the smaller volume needing less heat for the same temperature rise.
2. If you heat the water to 40 degrees instead of 20 degrees:
- Heating the water to a higher initial temperature would mean that less heat energy is needed to reach the target temperature compared to starting at 20 degrees.
- In this case, the temperature rise during the experiment would be smaller since the water is already warmer before heating.
- Consequently, the specific heat capacity determined would likely be lower than expected due to the smaller temperature rise.
3. If you used 200mL of water and heated it only 10 degrees:
- The larger volume of water would require more heat energy to raise its temperature compared to the 100mL volume.
- Consequently, the temperature increase would be smaller for the same amount of heat applied since more heat is needed to raise the temperature of the larger volume.
- The obtained specific heat capacity of the water would likely be lower than expected due to the larger volume needing more heat for the same temperature rise.
Advantages and disadvantages of using either 50mL or 200mL of water:
- Advantages of using 50mL of water:
- If you are limited with resources, using less water can be advantageous as it would require less time and energy to heat.
- Smaller volumes tend to have faster heat transfer, allowing for quicker temperature changes, making observations easier.
- Disadvantages of using 50mL of water:
- Due to the smaller volume, it becomes challenging to measure temperature accurately because small amounts of heat can cause significant temperature changes.
- The specific heat capacity of water might deviate from standard values due to the smaller volume requiring less heat.
- Advantages of using 200mL of water:
- The larger volume allows for more stable temperature measurements due to the heat being distributed over a larger mass.
- The specific heat capacity determined would likely be closer to standard values as the larger volume requires more heat.
- Disadvantages of using 200mL of water:
- It takes longer to heat and cool larger volumes of water, which may prolong the experiment time.
- Larger volumes require more energy, which might be a limitation in some experimental setups.
Ultimately, the choice of water volume and temperature depends on the objectives, available resources, and desired accuracy of the experiment.