Calorimeter with Stirrer

The Calorimeter with Stirrer is designed for determining the specific heat of matter by the method of mixtures, and is supplied as part of EduScope India's Physics Lab Equipment range. Model EDU209 pairs a copper inner vessel with a wooden outer vessel, mounted on cork supports, so the heat exchanged between a test object and the water inside can be measured with minimal loss to the surroundings.

Construction

The inner vessel, which holds the water and the substance under test, is made of copper and measures 75 x 50mm. Copper is used because it is a highly efficient conductor of heat, so the vessel itself reaches thermal equilibrium with its contents quickly and evenly, without adding a large or uneven lag between the true temperature of the water and the reading taken from it. This inner vessel is carried on cork supports inside an outer vessel made of wood, measuring approx. 100 x 75mm. Cork and wood are both poor conductors of heat, so raising the inner vessel on cork and enclosing it in a wooden outer shell insulates it from the surrounding air and the bench, keeping heat loss to the outside to a minimum while a measurement is in progress. The outer vessel is closed with one lid fitted with a central tubule for a thermometer, and one slit for a stirrer. The unit is built to a highly durable, fine finish with high strength.

How it is used

In a typical method-of-mixtures measurement, a known quantity of water is placed in the inner vessel and a heated or cooled test object is lowered in through the lid. The stirrer, worked through its slit, is used to keep the water at a uniform temperature throughout the measurement, so the thermometer reading reflects the whole body of liquid rather than a warmer or cooler patch near the object. The central tubule in the lid holds the thermometer in a fixed position through the reading, allowing its temperature to be monitored continuously as heat passes between the object and the water until the system settles at a common final temperature. It is these recorded temperatures, taken at each stage of the process, that allow the specific heat of the test material to be worked out.

Related instruments

A calorimetry setup is rarely used with the calorimeter alone. Because this calorimeter's lid is fitted with a tubule sized for a thermometer, EduScope India's Thermometer is the direct companion instrument used to take the readings the method of mixtures depends on. For related coursework in heat and temperature measurement, EduScope India's Conductivity Apparatus sits within the same equipment group of the Physics Lab Equipment range.

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