Calorimetry and Specific Heat

“Why do some changes in matter result in a change in temperature?”

Driving Question

Eduardo was helping his father build a doghouse when he accidentally hit his hand with a hammer. Fortunately, his father had a first-aid cold pack handy, activated it, and placed it on Eduardo’s hand to reduce the swelling. Soon, Eduardo felt an icy cold emanating from the formerly roomtemperature package. A first-aid cold pack contains a dry chemical and a packet of water in a pouch. To activate it, you break the packet of water and, as a solution forms, the pack gets cold. Why does the pack get cold, and how can it give us insight into changes in matter and energy?

Phenomenon Intro

Introduction Questions

With your group you have 15 minutes to read the background and answer the introduction questions. Hole punch it and put it in your binder once you are done.

Multiple Choice

The specific heat of aluminum is 0.21 cal/g°C.  How much heat(Q) is released when a 10 g piece of aluminum foil is taken out of the oven and cools from 100° to 50°?

• 105 J

• 10.5 J

• 1.05 J

• 50 J

Multiple Choice

20 g of water. specific heat of water is 4.18 J/g°C.  temperature changes from 25° C to 20° C, how much heat energy (Q) moves from the water to the surroundings?

• 418 Joules

• 209 J

• 83 J

• 4.18 J