Question

Why is the calibration of the coffee-cup calorimeter (as described in your lab manual) an important factor to data collection?

A) There is no point in the calibration which is why we are skipping it in the lab B) It is possible that the heat capacity of the calorimetry is not zero C) The calibration forces the heat capacity of the calorimeter to equal zero so that we can perform further calculations D) The calibration allows us to determine the specific heat of water

Answer 1

We know the specific heat of water, we calibrate calorimeter by adding a known mass of warm water to a known mass of cold water in the calorimeter and then determine the temperature change. Because we know the specific heat of water, we can determine how much heat is absorbed by the calorimeter.

Heat lost by hot water = heat gained by cold water

Heat lost by hot water - heat gained by cold water = 0

But since calorometer itself absorbs some heat this may not be zero

Therfore the answer is

B) It is possible that the heat capacity of the calorimetry is not zero