Question

Instead of simply taking an initial and final temperature, in this lab you will measure temperature changes by plotting temperature vs. time data and extrapolating best-fit lines to the time of mixing/reaction. Would the magnitude (absolute value) of your calculated ΔT be too large or too small if you simply tried to record an initial and a final temperature? Explain.

Answer 1

Let us suppose that we are heating a liquid of which the temperature is being measured. Now if we try to plot the temperature vs time data, it would be a straight line with its origin at 0 value of the graph. Hence for a given (fixed) rate of heating; the ΔT would not change. It will remain the same throughout the experiment (Even if we extrapolate it for the best fit). Therefore if we compare the graph, when temperatures are noted on regular intervals to the one which has the initial and final temperature being noted down; ΔT for both of them should actually remain the same.