Calorimetry sim
Start the clock, take readings for 30 s, then the alkali is poured in (or the solid tipped in) and stirred.
Calorimetry · covers the GCSE, IGCSE, O-Level topic
What the sim shows
Start the clock, take readings for 30 s, then the alkali is poured in (or the solid tipped in) and stirred. Record the highest temperature (the lowest, if it cools), not the one at a fixed time: heat starts leaking away as soon as it is made. Q = m c ΔT, with m the mass of everything mixed (1 cm³ = 1 g) and c = 4.2 J/(g °C); divide by 1000 and by the moles, and give the sign: minus when the solution warms. Polystyrene is a poor conductor and the lid stops heat escaping from the top, so the cup's answer is closer to the true value; every loss makes the measured value too small. The clock runs ten times faster than real time.
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