specific heat capacity vegetable oil experiment

Required Practical: Investigating Specific Heat Capacity ( AQA GCSE Physics )

Revision note.

Required Practical 1: Investigating Specific Heat Capacity

Aims of the experiment.

• The aim of the experiment is to determine the specific heat capacity of a substance, by linking the amount of energy transferred to the substance with the rise in temperature of the substance
• Independent variable = Time,  t
• Dependent variable = Temperature, θ
• Material of the block
• Current supplied,  I
• Potential difference supplied,  V

Equipment List

• Thermometer = 1 °C
• Stopwatch = 0.01 s
• Voltmeter = 0.1 V
• Ammeter = 0.01 A

Apparatus to investigate the specific heat capacity of the aluminium block

• Start by assembling the apparatus, placing the heater into the top of the block
• Measure the initial temperature of the aluminium block from the thermometer
• Turn on the power supply and start the stopwatch
• Whilst the power supply is on, the heater will heat up the block. Take several periodic measurements, eg. every 1 minute of the voltage and current from the voltmeter and ammeter respectively, calculating an average for each at the end of the experiment up to 10 minutes
• Switch off the power supply, stop the stopwatch and leave the apparatus for about a minute. The temperature will still rise before it cools
• Monitor the thermometer and record the final temperature reached for the block
• An example table of results might look like this:

Analysis of Results

• The thermal energy supplied to the block can be calculated using the equations:
• E = thermal energy, in joules (J)
• Q = Charge, in coulombs (C)
• I = current, in amperes (A)
• V = potential difference, in volts (V)
• t = time, in seconds (s)
• Rearrange to make Q the subject
• Substitute into the Q = It equation
• Rearrange to make E the subject
• The change in thermal energy is defined by the equation:
• Δ E = change in energy, in joules (J)
• m =  mass, in kilograms (kg)
• c =  specific heat capacity, in joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg °C)
• Δ θ =  change in temperature, in degrees Celsius (°C)
• Rearranging for the specific heat capacity, c :
• To calculate Δθ:
• To calculate Δ E:
• I = average current, in amperes (A)
• V =  average potential difference (V)
• θ f = final time, in seconds (s)
• θ i = initial time, in seconds (s)
• These values are then substituted into the specific heat capacity equation to calculate the specific heat capacity of the aluminium block

Evaluating the Experiment

Systematic Errors:

• Make sure the voltmeter and ammeter are initially set to zero, to avoid zero error

Random Errors:

• This means the measured value of the specific heat capacity is likely to be higher than what it actually is
• To reduce this effect, make sure the block is fully insulated
• This would eliminate errors from the voltmeter, ammeter and the stopwatch
• Make sure the temperature value is read at eye level from the thermometer, to avoid parallax error
• The experiment can also be repeated with a beaker of water of equal mass, the water should heat up slower than the aluminium block

Safety Considerations

• Run any burns immediately under cold running water for at least 5 minutes
• Allow time for all the equipment, including the heater, wire and block to cool before packing away the equipment
• Keep water away from all electrical equipment
• Wear eye protection if using a beaker of hot water

Teacher tip

From my experience of teaching this practical investigation, it is usually done as a teacher demonstration because of the specialist equipment used. Therefore, students find it more difficult to engage with than a hands-on practical, and so can often find it quite confusing. This Required Practical does come up in exams very frequently, so you do need to make the extra effort to understand the equipment, the set-up and how the measurements are taken.

The main idea is that the measurements of current and potential difference allow you to calculate the energy transferred to the metal block, and from there you can use the change in temperature and the energy supplied to calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal.

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Leander graduated with First-class honours in Science and Education from Sheffield Hallam University. She won the prestigious Lord Robert Winston Solomon Lipson Prize in recognition of her dedication to science and teaching excellence. After teaching and tutoring both science and maths students, Leander now brings this passion for helping young people reach their potential to her work at SME.

Specific Heat Capacity Experiment

Related Pages Specific Heat Capacity Energy Transfers Mechanical, Potential and Kinetic Energy Elastic Potential Energy Lessons for IGCSE Physics

A series of free GCSE/IGCSE Physics Notes and Lessons .

In these lessons, we will learn to describe a practical that can be used to determine the specific heat capacity of a material.

The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the substance by 1°C.

Specific Heat Capacity Practical

Steps to determine the specific heat capacity.

• Place a beaker on a balance and press zero.
• Now add the oil to the beaker and record the mass of the oil.
• Read the starting temperature of the oil.
• Connect a joulemeter to the immersion heater.
• Time for thirty minutes.
• Read the number of joules of energy that passed into the immersion heater.
• Read the final temperature of the oil.
• Use the following formula to calculate the specific heat capacity.

Results and Calculations

0.95 kg of oil was heated from 20°C to 75 °C. 87258J of electrical energy passed into the immersion heater. Calculate the specific heat capacity of the oil.

Sources of inaccuracies

• Thermal energy passing out of the beaker into the air - Use an insulator with a lower thermal conductivity.
• Not all thermal energy passing into the oil - Ensure that immersion heater is fully submerged.
• Incorrect reading of thermometer - Use an electronic temperature probe.
• Thermal energy not being spread through the oil - Stir the oil.

Experiment to show how to find the specific heat capacity of a metal

Specific Heat Capacity - GCSE Science Required Practical

Investigating the specific heat capacity of different metals.

In this practical you will:

• heat up blocks of different metals using an electric heater
• measure the mass and temperature of the block
• calculate the work done by the heater
• plot a graph of temperature change against work done and use the gradient to calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal
• Measure and record the mass of the copper block in kg.
• Wrap the insulation around the block.
• Place the heater in the larger hole in the block.
• Connect the ammeter, power pack and heater in series.
• Connect the voltmeter across the heater.
• Use the pipette to put a small amount of water in the other hole.
• Put the thermometer in this hole.
• Set the power pack to 12 V. Switch on the power pack to turn on the heater.
• Record the ammeter and voltmeter readings. These shouldn’t change during the experiment.
• Measure the temperature and start the stopclock.
• Record the temperature every minute for 10 minutes. Record your results in the table below.
• Calculate the power of the heater in watts. Power in watts = potential difference in volts x current in amps
• Calculate the energy transferred (work done) by the heater. To do this, multiply the time in seconds by the power of the heater. Record these values in your table.

Specific Heat Capacity - GCSE Science Required Practical How to measure the SHC of a material using the graph method?

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Science project, heat capacity of water vs. heat capacity of oil.

Have you ever wondered why oil heats up so quickly in a pan, but water takes so long to boil?

Heat , which is the exchange of energy between a system and its surroundings, occurs in three major ways: conduction , convection and radiation .

Conduction is heat transfer through touch (physical contact between molecules). The hotter molecules are, the faster they move around and transfer their energy to other molecules. Convection is heat transfer through fluid flow, like when hot water is poured over ice or when cool air is blown over your warm soup. Radiation occurs when an object releases heat in the form of electromagnetic rays.

An object’s heat capacity describes the amount of heat required to change the temperature of that object by a certain amount. Specific heat is the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a substance by one degree (generally °C).

Liquids absorb heat in different ways. The temperature change in a particular liquid heated by conduction may not be the same trend of temperature change for the same liquid heated by radiation.

How do different liquids absorb heat?

• Liquid soap
• Jars (however many liquids you have)
• Digital hot plate
• Digital thermometer
• Labeling tape
• Any other liquid you want to test

Preparation

A night before you do your heat testing, measure a ½-cup of liquid into each jar and label it accordingly. You should have 2 jars for each liquid. Set the jars aside so they will all be the same temperature when you test them the next day.

Microwave Testing

• Record the initial temperature of the liquid you are testing. Make sure to record your temperatures in °C.
• Place the jar with your first liquid in the microwave and heat on full power for 30 seconds. Record the temperature and any observations.
• Repeat step 2 several more times, recording the temperature and any observations each time. Be careful, the glass jar will get hot! Ask an adult to help you remove the jar from the microwave.
• Repeat steps 1-3 for your second liquid.

Hot Plate Testing

• Set the hotplate to 80°C.
• Record the initial temperature of the liquid you are testing.
• Place the jar on the hot plate and start the stopwatch.
• Record the temperature of the liquid every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. Record any observations.
• Be careful of the hot glass and liquid!
• Repeat steps 1-5 for your second liquid.

Plot Your Data:

Graph each set of data with temperature on the y-axis and time on the x-axis. What do your plots tell you?

Microwaves are better at heating polar liquids, like water. Oils are very non-polar. Olive oil will heat up faster on the hotplate than water will. Water will still heat slower than olive oil when placed in the microwave, but your graphs should have indicated that water heats up faster in the microwave than it does on the hot plate.

For both the hot plate and the microwave, 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. Because the input of the heat from the hotplate and the microwave is the same across trials, and water takes longer to heat up to a given temperature than olive oil, we can conclude the water can hold more heat energy than olive oil.

Microwave radiation is radiation with wavelengths of one millimeter up to one meter. These short wavelengths have high frequencies, and therefore high energies. Microwaves are much better at heating polar molecules, like water. A molecule is polar when it has a concentration of charge on one side or the other. On the water molecule, the oxygen atom is negatively charged, while the hydrogen atoms are positively charged. Oils, like olive oil, are long, evenly spaced chains and are very non-polar, so they don’t absorb energy from microwaves as well as polar molecules like water do. Microwaves work by causing the poles of a molecule to spin rapidly, which generates heat. This is known as dipole rotation.

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Specific heats of oil and water.

A volunteer puts her hands in oil and water in large beakers on thermostated hot plates, at about 60°C. The water beaker hand is removed almost instantly. The oil beaker hand can remain indefinitely.

The heat capacity of oil is about half that of water. Oil is thought of as hotter because it can be heated to higher temperatures than boiling water, but at the same temperature, water moves more heat into your hand than oil does.

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Measure the Specific Heat of Water and Other Fluids

Introduction: Measure the Specific Heat of Water and Other Fluids

Step 1: Equipment

• Digital postal scale
• Plastic cup that will hold at least 250ml
• Variable power supply]
• Digital thermometer with probe
• 7.5 ohm, 5W resistor] (or something close)
• Short length of wire
• Clock showing time in seconds (not shown)
• 250 ml of cold water (tap water will do, distilled is better) (not shown)

Step 2: Setup

1. Prepare some cold water (preferably distilled) by putting it in a container in a refrigerator for an hour or so. You want to start with cold water so that your experimental data will include temperatures on either side of the ambient temperature. 2. Put the cup on the digital scale and zero the scale. 3. Pour cold water into the cup until the scale reads at least 250 g. Record the mass "M" of water that you actually added. 3. Strip a short length of the insulation from the wire and connect the resistor in series with the variable power supply by twisting the bare wires around the resistor leads. 4. Put the resistor into the cup of water so that the resistor is submerged 5. Record the ambient temperature "Ta" and then put the temperature probe into the water as well.

Step 3: Procedure

1. Turn on the power supply and adjust the voltage to around 7.5 volts (or the value of the resistor that you used). Record the voltage "V" and the current "I". Note that with a DC power supply there is no danger of electric shock. You can handle the bare wires by hand. 2. Record the water temperature every 2 minutes until the temperature is about 5 degrees C above the ambient room temperature. Aside: Ohm's law states that Voltage (V), Current (I), and Resistance (R) are related by the formula V = I*R (where V is in volts, I is in Amps, and R is in Ohms). You measured V and I. Therefore you can calculate R = V/I and compare this with the known value of your resistor. In my case, V=7.5V, and I=1.00A. Therefore R=V/I = 7.5 Ohms which is the value of the resistor that I used. Hurray!

Step 4: Results

The ambient temperature was 20.1 degrees C. One of the datapoints was 20.2 degrees C which is very close to ambient. To minimize error due to heat transfer to or from the surroundings, lets look at the data from 10 minutes before till 10 minutes after this datapoint.

Step 5: Conclusion

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Liquids and Fluids - Specific Heats

Specific heats for some common liquids and fluids - acetone, oil, paraffin, water and many more..

The specific heat for some commonly used liquids and fluids is given in the table below.

For conversion of units, use the Specific heat online unit converter.

See also tabulated values of specific heat of gases , food and foodstuff ,  metals and semimetals , common solids and other common substances as well as values of molar specific heat of  common organic substances and inorganic substances.

• 1 kJ/(kg K) = 1000 J/(kg o C) = 0.2389 kcal/(kg o C) = 0.2389 Btu/(lb m o F)
• T( o C) = 5/9[T( o F) - 32]

See also tabulated values of specific heat of Gases , Food and foodstuff ,  Metals and semimetals ,  Common solids and other Common substances .

Heating Energy

The energy required to heat a product can be calculated as

q = c p m dt                                              (1)

q = heat required (kJ)

c p = specific heat (kJ/kg K, kJ/kg o C)

dt = temperature difference (K, o C)

Example - Required Heat to increase Temperature i Water

10 kg of water is heated from 20 o C to 100 o C - a temperature difference 80 o C (K) . The heat required can be calculated as 

q = (4.19 kJ/kg K) (10 kg) (80 o C)

  = 3352 kJ

Mixing Liquids and/or Solids - Final Temperatures

Related topics.

• Material Properties
• Thermodynamics

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• Volume 15 (2001) Issue 4
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Division of Mechanlical and MechanicaI Systems Engineering, Kanazawa lnstitute of Technology

Fujimoto Setsubi Kogyosho Co. Ltd.

Corresponding author

2001 Volume 15 Issue 4 Pages 230-236

• Published: October 31, 2001 Received: March 19, 2001 Available on J-STAGE: March 03, 2009 Accepted: July 30, 2001 Advance online publication: - Revised: -

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This paper reports the specific heat capacity of ten vegetable oils, such as linseed oil, corn oil, soy bean oil, rape oil, cotton seed oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. Measurements are carried out by use of a newly-made adiabatic equipment which has stirring heater, and are made in the temperature range of melting point and about 440K at atmospheric pressure. Specific heat capacity of each oil is correlated to temperature by least square method.

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Collection of Physics Experiments

Comparing specific heat of ethanol and water, experiment number : 4343, goal of experiment.

The goal of this experiment is to compare specific heat capacities of ethanol and water.

Basic information concerning specific heat capacity is listed in the taks Comparing Specific Heat of Water and Vegetable Oil, Theory .

Two identical plastic cups, low container for water, thermal imaging camera, electric kettle, ethanol.

Pour the same mass of water and ethanol into each of the two plastic cups.

Place the cups in the low container and fill it with hot water from the kettle, so that it reaches approx. one quarter of the height of the plastic cups, thus preparing a water bath.

Use the thermal imaging camera to observe how the liquids in cups heat up.

Sample result

The video below shows a successful execution of the experiment. We can see that the temperature of ethanol increases faster than the temperature of water, which corresponds to the fact that its specific heat capacity is almost half that of water.

In this video, the FLIR i7 thermal imaging camera was used. The temperature range of the colour scheme was set in the interval of 23 °C and 47 °C, the emissivity was ε = 0.95.

Technical notes

Pour the hot water into the low container slowly and steadily – if you pour rapidly, you may overturn the cups with the liquids being tested or they may “float away” from the field of view of the thermal imaging camera.

Pedagogical notes

It is useful to point out to students that the thermal imaging camera only senses the temperature of the liquid surface .

To make the experiment conclusive, we require the mass of the heated ethanol and water to be the same; since the ethanol is less dense, its volume will be greater.

It is the different heights of the levels in the containers that leads students to such explanations of the experiment that do not work with specific heat capacity. Quite often, students assume that in the case of the fuller container, the temperature increase will be slower – after all, we heat the containers at their bottom and in the fuller one will therefore take longer for the heated liquid to rise to the surface where we measure the temperature. Such reasoning is to be appreciated, it makes physical sense, and if there was the same liquid in both containers, this explanation would indeed be relevant. The execution of our experiment, however, gives the opposite result – although the volume of ethanol is greater and its surface is therefore higher, it heats up significantly faster than in the case of water; the height of the surface is therefore probably not an essential factor in this experiment.

Link to similar experiment

The above experiment can of course be performed without a thermal imaging camera, with only two temperature sensors. This simpler equipment was used in a related experiment Comparing Specific Heat of Water and Vegetable Oil which, in addition to the actual comparison of specific heat capacities, contains an extended reflection on the measured temperature versus time dependencies, that may seem paradoxical at first glance.

Thermal imaging camera basics - link to PDF

In this experiment, a thermographic measurement is used. The theory of thermography and basic recommendation and procedures that can help you obtain more accurate and undistorted results can be found in Experiments with thermal imaging camera (in Czech only).

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Indexed in index copernicus - ici journals master list 2016 - ijcrar--icv 2016: 81.15 for more details click here, abstract             volume:7  issue-8  year-2019         original research articles.

The feasibility of using calorimeter was to determine the specific heat capacity of vegetable and sunflower oils. We got the water before we worked for others (oils). We used experimental methods to present in this work. The specific heat capacity of vegetable oil and sunflower are 3.22904 KJ/kg oC and 3.1927KJ/kg oC respectively at low temperature.

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