Laurier CI, Modified by Dr Sharma Physics SL
Lab 3 – Heat, Temperature and Energy forms
Part I - Investigating Specific Heat Capacity Name: ________________________
Your task is to determine the relative specific heat capacities of four materials:
ick, iron, olive oil and water. You will use a simulation to conduct the experiment, located here:
https:
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-forms-and-changes
Click the right-facing triangle inside the circle on the screenshot; it should play right in your web
owser.
We’re not looking to actually calculate the specific heat capacity; we’re just trying to place the objects in the co
ect order, from lowest to highest values of c. (Please don’t cheat by looking up these values somewhere. Play fair!) You will be using a series of comparisons to determine their final order. Assume all materials have the same mass.
Before you begin, read through the directions and create a suitable data table to record your results.
1. Click the “Intro” icon to start the simulation.
2. Click the “Link Heaters” box in the top-right part of the screen. This will ensure the two heaters give out the same amount of energy per second.
3. Place two different materials on the stands by clicking and dragging them there.
4. Click and drag a thermometer from the top-left corner of the screen onto each material. The thermometer is co
ectly placed when the left-facing triangle turns the same color as the material.
5. Click and hold one of the heater temperatures controls, then drag it up towards “Heat” and hold it there. You should see the temperature change. When you let go of the heater slider, the materials will slowly cool down; if you need to heat them up again, just click, drag and hold the slider back up again.
6. When you’re done, click the orange Reset button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You will have to re-check “Link Heaters” and add new thermometers to each object.
6. Go through all the possible combinations of materials, compare results, and rank them from lowest to highest value of c.
7. Show screen shots of the experiment when you do in your lab report.
Example: Olive oil will heat up faster than water because the heat capacity of oil is lower than the heat capacity of water. Water requires more energy per gram of liquid to change its temperature. Microwaves are much better at heating polar molecules, like water.
Data table:
Final ranking:
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
lowest c value highest c value
Part II - Investigating Energy forms in a System
Your task is to determine how the forms of energy changes from one to other into a system. You will use a simulation to conduct the experiment, located here:
https:
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-forms-and-changes
Before you begin, read through the directions and create a suitable data table to record your results.
1. Click the “System” icon to start the simulation.
2. Click the “Energy symbol” box in the top-right part of the screen. This will ensure to show you types of energy in the system.
3. Now click to the girl on bike and change its control and see how energy form changes from one to other while the generator heats up water in the container to its boiling state.
4. Make a table to show names of energy forms that changes from one to another.
5. Now replace water from right side with a spherical bulb and repeat steps 3 and 4 and add your results to the same table what you made in step 4.
6. Now replace the spherical bulb to the fluorescent bulb and repeat steps 3-5.
7. Now replace with fan and do the same.
8. Then come back to the water again on right side and change left side model. Replace girl with water tape, sun and kettle respectively one by one and see how long water takes to boil and how types of energy are changing from one to other. Note down them in the same data table.
9. Now keep the Sun on left side and Water on right side but change generator with solar screen in the middle and see how energy changes from one to other when you move the control on left side.
10. Show screen shots of the all experiment you did in your lab report.
11. Show a final data table with names of objects changed on left, right and middle section with the form of energy.
12. Describe what combination didn’t work for most of them and why in your conclusion.
Data table:
Type a full lab report and submit in time.
© 2021 taken from PHET and modified by Dr Dipti Sharma