Construction and testing of an apparatus that determines the mechanical equivalent of heat using available local materials

• Main Author: Guiang, Roberto A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1985
• Subjects: Heat > Instruments; Scientific apparatus and instruments; Education; Physics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1143
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study is concerned with the determination of the value of J (mechanical equivalent of heat) using the local materials buho, a kind of bamboo and kawayan tinikan, another specie of the bamboo family and improvised lead shots. The main focus of the study is to determine how close to the theoretical value, the experimental value of J. The result is the evidence of the reliability of the apparatus. By performing a number of trials using different materials such as lead shots, and other metals, bamboo of different lengths, and of different kinds, the following observations were made. The 300-gram mass gave the reasonable result. The increase of the temperature of the lead shots became faster than the temperature emitted with the use of the lesser mass. As to the effect of the length of the tube, it was observed that the lengths between 78 to 82 cm. tube with a diameter of 5 cm. gave the best result. It was also found out, that there was no significant difference in the computation of the value of J, when both kinds of bamboos were used in the trials. In as much as the materials needed are produced locally, the apparatus can be easily reproduced at a relatively lower cost. This apparatus could even be used for demonstrations in the classrooms.