SPECIFIC HEAT

You will use a  precision thermometer   to measure the temperature rise of water when hot metal is added. Warning: when using the precision thermometer, support the styrofoam cup in a 400 mL beaker as shown. The apparatus is less likely to tip over and break the thermometer. The experiment: 1. weigh water in calorimeter 2. weigh metal in tube 3. heat tube with metal in boiling water bath. 4. record intial temperature of water to .05 ºC 5. pour hot metal from tube into calorimeter 6. mix by swirling and record highest temperature. Important: a. Transfer metal to calorimeter rapidly. It must not cool before it enters the water! b. In swirling do not lose water or wet the cork.

REASONS
a. Metals are excellent conductors of heat. If after removing the tube with metal from the boiling water bath, you hesitate before dumping the metal into the calorimeter, the metal will no longer be at the temperature of boiling water. Therefore the water in the calorimeter will be heated to a lower temperature.
b. If you lose water from the calorimeter by wetting the cork or even splashing it out before heat transfer from the metal to the water is complete, the remaining water will be heated to a higher temperature.

CALCULATIONS

For this experiment, the calorimeter constant is assumed to be 0.00 j/ºC. This means that all the heat lost by the metal goes into heating the water. None of the heat is used to heat the styrofoam cup. This assumption is not too incorrect.
Using this assumption.....

Heat lost by metal = Heat gained by water

(Weight_(metal))(Temperature loss_(metal))(Sp Heat_(metal))= Heat Loss(metal)

(Weight_(water))(Temperature gain_(water))(Sp Heat_(water))= Heat Gain(water)

Since you know everything except the specific heat of the metal, you can solve for this as the unknown.

Also remember although the metal and the water start at two very different temperatures, they end up at the same temperature.
Because the Specific Heat of water is so high and the weights of water and metal used in this experiment are similar, the temperature rise of the water will be much less than the temperature fall of the metal.