Specific Heat Lab Report

Is it possible to find the specific heat of a metal by experimenting and by using the SMΔT formula? Background Information: The experiment deals with finding the different factors in the formula SMΔT to find the specific heat of the metal, which is iron in this case. ΔH=SMΔT, which means that the change in heat equals the specific heat times the mass times the change in temperature. There are many new concepts that are necessary to know for this formula, such as specific heat, mass and how to find the change in temperature. To begin with specific heat is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1℃. Specific heat is unique for each substance, but is constant for each substance. Mass is the measurement

laboratory balance, graduated cylinder, thermometer, beaker, calorimeter, ring stand, wire gauze, bunsen burner, water, crucible tongs, paper, writing utensil and the flint and striker
Procedure:
Put on goggles, apron and get out the materials listed above.
Record the mass of the metal, and put the metal in the beaker carefully.
Pour enough water into the beaker to cover the block.
Set up the ring stand and ignite the bunsen burner with the flint and striker.
Put the beaker with the water and the metal on the wire gauze of the ring stand that has the bunsen burner under it.
Fill the graduated cylinder with enough water to about fill the calorimeter and record the amount of water and the temperature of the water that is in the graduated cylinder.
When the water starts to boil in the beaker, use the thermometer to record the temperature of the water.
Pour the water from the graduated cylinder into the calorimeter.
Use the crucible tongs to take the metal out of the beaker and place the metal into the calorimeter and close the

It is very possible, since all of the components were found that were necessary to use the formula and the date proves that. The data above supports the claim that the specific heat was found by using the formula. The specific heat was 0.345J/g℃ for the iron. Errors could have occurred, such as the thermometer wasn’t left in the calorimeter long enough, which would mean that the final temperature of the water and the metal would be different, which would then mean that there would be a different result for the specific heat of the metal. Another error that could have occurred would be if the metal wasn’t transferred from the boiling water to the calorimetry with the room temperature water quick enough then the metal could have lost heat from the outside environment. This would mean that the final temperature could have been warmer, which would result in completely different results for the specific heat. Another error that could have occurred would be if the starting temperature of the metal was taken before the water was fully boiling, which would result in a different starting temperature for the metal and a completely different specific