Specific Heats of Various Metals

Thermodynamics > Heat and the First Law > Heat Capacity

DCS# 4B10.30

SPECIFIC HEATS OF VARIOUS METALS

APPARATUS

five metal cylinders	202-11-E2
wooden frame with tracks	202-11-B
sheet of paraffin	202-11-B
hot plate or hot pot	101-12-D
beaker of water	101-01-C

DESCRIPTION

Five different metal cylinders of equal mass are heated to the same temperature in boiling water. The hot masses are placed atop the edge of a slab of paraffin or beeswax and allowed to melt paths through the wax. Their heat capacities can be compared by noting the amount of wax, or path length, melted by each sample.

NOTES

The samples each have a mass of 65 g.
Their specific heat capacities are:

metal	c_p(J/kg°C)
Al	0.90
Cu	0.39
Pb	0.13
Sn	0.23
Zn	0.39

The hot pot heats the water faster than the hot plate.