The Dependence of Calorimeter Water Equivalence on the Mass of Water inside Calorimeter

Abstract

The aim of Physics Practicum in the Basic Physics Laboratory is to prove experimentally the theories or laws underlying various physical phenomena. this aim is not achieved satisfactorily caused by the presence of various factors that result in the deviation of the experimental results compared to what should be according to the theory. In the calorimetry experiments case, the difference of resulted value to the expected value is caused by the neglect of the influence of ambient or environment temperature which is higher or lower than the temperature of the calorimeter. Calorimeter has a thermal behavior called water equivalence or heat capacity. Unlike the heat absorbed, which is easily calculated by the multiplication of mass and specific heat, the heat absorbed by the calorimeter and its supporting devices cannot only be calculated from the multiplication of mass and specific heat of the calorimeter material. The objective of this research is to explain a relationship between the water equivalence of the calorimeter and the amounts of media inside the calorimeter experimentally, using an experiment of heat fusion heat. The water equivalence of the calorimeter was calculated using experimental data of ice fusion heat with various variations in the mass of water inside. To have a better and more accurate result, the calculation is completed by Newton’s correction of the measured temperature due to the influence of ambient temperature. From the results of the research used at the Physics Laboratory of the Bandung State Polytechnic, it can be shown that the value of the water equivalence of the calorimeter is not constant but depends on the mass of water inside the calorimeter. To the extent of a certain mass of water, the greater the mass of water, the greater the heat capacity of the calorimeter.