📚 Learning Guide
Bomb Calorimetry
easy

When determining the heat of combustion for a fuel in a bomb calorimeter, which factor primarily influences the accuracy of the energy measurement obtained?

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Learning Path

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Choose the Best Answer

A

The heat capacity of the calorimeter

B

The color of the fuel

C

The volume of oxygen used

D

The type of container used for the fuel

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

The accuracy of a bomb calorimeter’s energy measurement is mainly set by how precisely you can determine the temperature rise that the combustion causes. This requires a well‑calibrated calorimeter with a known heat capacity and a thermometer that gives accurate, reproducible temperature readings. If the heat capacity is wrong or the temperature change is measured poorly, the calculated heat of combustion will be off. For example, if a 1 °C temperature rise is recorded with a ±0. 1 °C uncertainty, the energy estimate will carry a similar percentage error.

Detailed Explanation

The calorimeter’s heat capacity tells us how much heat it can absorb for each degree of temperature rise. Other options are incorrect because People think a darker fuel means it gives off more heat; Some think that giving more oxygen changes how much heat we see.

Key Concepts

Heat of Combustion
Topic

Bomb Calorimetry

Difficulty

easy level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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