Week 12

Week 12 in Chem flew by and was over before I knew it. Also, I wasn't able to fully wrap my mind around the concepts that we learned. We started the week off by reviewing phase diagrams and what they mean. We reviewed certain points (like the triple point) and the areas where the pressure and temperature cause different states of matter. The triple point is where a substance exists in all three states of matter at the same time in a certain pressure and temperature. Water, though, has a negative slope and can go from a solid at a certain temperature and pressure, then to a liquid at that same temperature but higher pressure. Basically, phase diagrams show us that we can change the state of a substance by adjusting temperature and pressure. Then we began to work with specific heat, which I am not very familiar with (mostly because I missed a day of class to be at a technology showcase). Specific heat is the amount of energy that is required to change the temperature of a 1g substance by 1 degree Celsius. Specific heat is different for all substances, and can be found by doing an equation--Energy/(mass*change in temperature). This equation can be manipulated if you have to solve for certain variables. Energy is measured in Joules, mass in grams, and change in temperature in degrees Celsius. This week I will have to further my understanding with specific heat. We ended the week with a four question assessment which I am not very confident about. After the assessment we did more specific heat practice problems. I am anxious to see my assessments results.