A temperature relaxation method for the measurement of the specific heat of solids at room temperature in student laboratories

Abstract

A laboratory experiment is described which employs a relaxation method for the measurement of the specific heat at constant pressure of solids at room temperature. The experiment employs measurements of the cooling (or heating) rate of a sample whose temperature differs from that of the surroundings due to light heating. This rate depends on the temperature difference, the specific heat of the sample and the heat transfer coefficient. The sample is suspended adiabatically in a reservoir in which a vacuum can be made. The influence of heat dissipation by convection on the results is discussed for the first time for this kind of experiment. The theoretical aspects related to the described technique involve concepts from several branches of physics that makes the experiment of interest and suitable for students at undergraduate and graduate levels of physics, material sciences and engineering.