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Heat Capacity Formula:
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The heat capacity (C) of a calorimeter is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of the calorimeter by 1 degree Kelvin (or Celsius). It's a measure of the calorimeter's ability to absorb heat without a significant temperature change.
The calculator uses the fundamental heat capacity formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula shows that heat capacity is directly proportional to the heat energy and inversely proportional to the temperature change.
Details: Knowing the heat capacity of a calorimeter is essential for accurate calorimetry experiments. It allows researchers to account for the energy absorbed by the calorimeter itself when measuring heat changes in chemical reactions.
Tips: Enter the heat energy in joules and temperature change in kelvins. Both values must be positive numbers. The calculator will compute the heat capacity in J/K.
Q1: What's the difference between heat capacity and specific heat?
A: Heat capacity is an extensive property (depends on amount of material) measured in J/K, while specific heat is an intensive property (per unit mass) measured in J/(g·K).
Q2: How is heat capacity determined experimentally?
A: Typically by adding a known amount of heat (from electrical resistance or chemical reaction) and measuring the temperature change.
Q3: Why use kelvins instead of degrees Celsius?
A: While the magnitude is the same (1 K = 1°C), kelvins are preferred in scientific calculations as they represent absolute temperature.
Q4: Does heat capacity change with temperature?
A: Yes, for most materials, heat capacity varies slightly with temperature, though it's often treated as constant for small temperature ranges.
Q5: What's a typical heat capacity for a laboratory calorimeter?
A: Common bomb calorimeters have heat capacities in the range of 5-15 kJ/K, while simpler coffee-cup calorimeters might be 10-100 J/K.