Question

To calibrate the calorimeter electrically, a constant voltage of 3.6 V is applied and a current of 2.6 A flows for a period of 350 seconds. If the temperature rises from 20.3°C to 29.1°C, what is the heat capacity of the calorimeter?

Answer 1

Answer:

$372.3 J/^{\circ}C$

Explanation:

First of all, we need to calculate the total energy supplied to the calorimeter.

We know that:

V = 3.6 V is the voltage applied

I = 2.6 A is the current

So, the power delivered is

$P=VI=(3.6)(2.6)=9.36 W$

Then, this power is delivered for a time of

t = 350 s

Therefore, the energy supplied is

$E=Pt=(9.36)(350)=3276 J$

Finally, the change in temperature of an object is related to the energy supplied by

$E=C\Delta T$

where in this problem:

E = 3276 J is the energy supplied

C is the heat capacity of the object

$\Delta T =29.1^{\circ}-20.3^{\circ}=8.8^{\circ}C$ is the change in temperature

Solving for C, we find:

$C=\frac{E}{\Delta T}=\frac{3276}{8.8}=372.3 J/^{\circ}C$