Required practical: a student investigates the specific heat capacity of a metal block using an electrical heater inserted into a hole in the block, together with a thermometer. The block is wrapped in an insulating jacket.
(a)Name one piece of apparatus, other than a thermometer, needed to measure the energy transferred to the block by the heater, and state what quantity it measures.(2)
(b)State one way the experiment could be improved to reduce energy losses to the surroundings.(1)
(c)The student records: mass of block = 1.0 kg, initial temperature = 18 degC, final temperature = 32 degC, energy supplied by the heater = 13300 J. Calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal. Use: change in thermal energy = mass x specific heat capacity x change in temperature(3)
(d)The accepted value of specific heat capacity for this metal is 900 J/(kg degC). Suggest why the student's calculated value in part (c) is higher than the accepted value.(2)
(e)State the independent variable in this investigation.(1)
(Total for Question 13 is 9 marks)