The Thermometer Is Not the Answer

A coffee cup, a thermometer, and one number that moves. Calorimetry turns that moving number into an energy — but only if you bring the other two factors with it. Watch the mistake happen: reading ΔT as if it were the heat, and dropping the minus sign that stands between the solution and the reaction.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · q = mcΔT · q_rxn = −q_soln · v2