Calorimetry

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Science Simulations, Technology Simulations, Engineering Simulations, Mathematics Simulations

Lesson 2: Specific Heat of Sugar

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, which is an energy source. Sugar may store a lot of energy, but how does the burning of sugar affect the temperature increase of the water?

Doing the science

Start the Calorimetry Simulation by clicking on the "Sim" tab.
Using the mouse, drag the sugar from the shelf to the balance to measure its mass.
Record the mass into the "Mass of Sugar Before Ignition" cell in Table 1 below.
Move the sugar from the balance to the hot plate underneath the flask of water.
Record the temperature of the water in "Temperature of Water Before Ignition."
Click on "Ignite" to set the sugar on fire.
Clicking on "10X" will speed up the timer.
Record the maximum temperature of the water in "Temperature of Water After Ignition".
Reweigh the sugar on the balance and record the data in "Mass of Sugar After Ignition".
Place the sugar back onto the shelf.
Click on "Show Data" to compare the data you collected.
Click on "Hide Data" after analyzing your results.
Calculate the difference in mass by subtracting the "Mass of Sugar After Ignition" from "Mass of Sugar Before Ignition" and record the number in "Difference in Mass".
Calculate the difference in temperature by subtracting the "Temperature of Water After Ignition" from "Temperature of Water Before Ignition" and record the number in "Difference in Temperature".

Table 1.

Mass of Sugar Before Ignition	Mass of Sugar After Ignition	Difference in Mass	Temperature of Water Before Ignition	Temperature of Water After Ignition	Difference in Temperature

Do You Understand?

The amount of calories from the burning of the material can be calculated by multiplying the mass of water by the difference in temperature increase and by the specific heat of water. The specific heat for water is 1 calorie/(gram × °Celsius). Assume the flask of water contains 100 grams. Calculate the number of calories released when burning the sugar.

Determine the heat content of the sugar. To do this, divide the number of calories released by burning the sugar by the difference in the sugar’s mass.