Entropy

1. Setup.

1. Obtain a heating element and stand, a thermometer, a stopwatch, a few paper towels, water, and a large beaker.
2. Fill the beaker with enough water so that the sample will not cool down too rapidly (i.e., at least 500 mL).
3. Place the beaker full of water on the stand below the heating element and turn it on.
4. Once the beaker of water reaches a boil, insert the thermometer and turn off the heating element.
5. Carefully remove the beaker from the heating stand and place it on the table, on top of the paper towels. These will act as insulation from the table.

2. Recording data.

1. Begin the stopwatch and record the temperature and time.
2. For the first 20 min, take a measurement about every 1 min.
3. For the next 20 min, take a measurement about every 3-5 min.
4. Record these values in Table 1.
5. Plot the data points that were collected in Table 1 in a graph of temperature versus time.
6. Using the initial temperature of the water and any two data points for the time and temperature, solve Equation 7 for the cooling constant k.
7. Using this value for k, plot Equation 7 as a continuous function of t. Compare the function with the data points that were collected.