A Calorimeter may be used to determine the Heat Capacity, Cs, of a material by measuring the temperature change when
a known mass of the material at a higher temperature is placed in a known mass of water, usually at room temperature, and the system is allowed to reach a final intermediate temperature.
Heat lost by hot object = Heat gained by cold water
Csmaterial(mass)material(Tfinal-Tinitial)material = Cswater(mass)water(Tfinal-Tinitial)water
Note:
The heat capacity is related to the
atomic mass and the
intermolecular forces in the material.
Calorimetry