Specific Heat PreLab - Honors Chemistry

3. Remembering that the heat gained by the water is equal to the heat lost by the metal, calculate the
specific heat of the metal for each trial:
4. Calculate your average value for the specific heat of the metal:
Results and Conclusions
1. Look up the accepted values for the specific heat of the metals and calculate the percent error in the
specific heat value that you determined experimentally.
2. Which of the data you recorded contains the greatest measurement error? Can the percent error in
your specific heat be accounted for by the error in this one measurement?
3. You assumed that the initial temperature of the lead shot was the same as that of the boiling water.
This assumption may not have been correct and may account for some experimental error. What other
assumptions were made that may be sources of error?
4. List the value for the specific heat of lead obtained by three other lab groups. Do you think this
property could be used to identify substances? Explain your answer.
5. If you were looking for a material that was a good insulator, would you prefer a material with a high
or low specific heat capacity? Explain your reasoning.