Measurement of the specific latent heat of fusion of ice

Apparatus

Ice, water, calorimeter, lagging, beakers, kitchen paper, digital thermometer reading to 0.1° C and electronic balance.

Procedure

• Place some ice cubes in a beaker of water and keep taking the temperature with the thermometer until the ice-water mixture reaches 0° C.

• Find the mass of the calorimeter $m_{cal}$.

• Half fill the calorimeter with water warmed to approximately 10° C above room temperature. Find the combined mass of the calorimeter and water $m_1$. The mass of the water is $m_1 - m_{cal}$.

• Record the initial temperature $θ_i$ of the calorimeter plus water.

• Surround the ice cubes with kitchen paper or a cloth and crush them between wooden blocks – dry them with the kitchen paper.

• Add the pieces of dry crushed ice, a little at a time, to the calorimeter. Do this until the temperature of the water has fallen by about 20° C.

• Record the lowest temperature $θ_f$ of the calorimeter plus water plus melted ice. The rise in temperature of the ice $I Δθ_i$ is $θ_f - 0°$ C and the fall in temperature of the calorimeter plus water $Δθ_c$ is $θ_i - θ_f$.

• Find the mass of the calorimeter plus water plus melted ice m3. The mass of the melted ice $m_i$ is $m_1 - m_2$.

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Measurement of the specific latent heat of fusion of ice

Physics Experiments

Results

Measurement	Symbol	Value
Mass of the calorimeter	$m_{cal}$	=
Mass of the calorimeter plus the water	$m_2$	=
Mass of the water	$m_w$	= $m_2 - m_{cal}$ =
Initial temperature of the calorimeter plus water	$θ_1$	=
Final temperature of the calorimeter plus water plus melted ice	$θ_2$	=
Rise in temperature of the ice	$Δθ_i$	= $θ_2 - 0°C$ =
Fall in temperature of the calorimeter plus water	$Δθ_c$	= $θ_1 - θ_2$ =
Mass of the calorimeter plus water plus melted ice m3 = Mass of the melted ice	$m_3$	=
	$m_i$	= $m_3 - m_2$

Calculations

Assume heat losses cancel heat gains. Given that the specific heat capacity of water cw and the specific heat capacity of copper cc are already known, the latent heat of fusion of ice l may be calculated from the following equation:

Energy gained by ice = energy lost by calorimeter + energy lost by the water.

$m_i l + m_i c_w Δθ_i = m_{cal} c_c Δθ_c + m_w c_w Δθ_c$