Hand Warmer Project
Purpose
Built efficient and environmentally safe hand warmers to be sold at the San Marin student store.
Overview
I was grouped with Jessica Walters, Griffin Leland, and Toby Gunther to create the most efficient, environmentally safe, and cheapest hand warmer of them all. Our first step was to collect data for different salts to find out which became the warmest the quickest and lasted the longest all in one. While two group members did that, Griffin and I worked on the design for the hand warmer. We wanted to design the hand warmer to be simple yet usable so we built a second model which ended up being our final prototype.
Purpose
Built efficient and environmentally safe hand warmers to be sold at the San Marin student store.
Overview
I was grouped with Jessica Walters, Griffin Leland, and Toby Gunther to create the most efficient, environmentally safe, and cheapest hand warmer of them all. Our first step was to collect data for different salts to find out which became the warmest the quickest and lasted the longest all in one. While two group members did that, Griffin and I worked on the design for the hand warmer. We wanted to design the hand warmer to be simple yet usable so we built a second model which ended up being our final prototype.
Chemistry
Before we constructed our hand warmer, we tested a multitude of salts that had different reactions when combined with water. We tested the temperature change (^T) of each reaction with a calorimeter and found that LiCl, our main reactant, was the most effective salt that produced heat. After, we tested to find the best proportion of LiCl to water, which ended up being 1 g to 7 mL. We calculated the heat energy produced by this reaction using the equation Q = mc(^T). Where Q is the energy produced, m is the mass, c is the specific heat of the water and ^T is the change in temperature.
Reflection
Using different controlled substances to create heat was a new area of knowledge for me. While testing each salt and using the different reactions of each salt to create the best hand warmer sparked a very creative side in me. While different members of my group worked on the calculations, I learned how to cope with the materials and tools that were available to create the best working yet simple hand warmer.
I wish I contributed more in measuring and using the formulas to find out the specific heat for the salts. I was being very productive taking the lead for the design of the hand warmer but taking the time to design and build the hand warmer didn't leave much time to help with the data collection.
Before we constructed our hand warmer, we tested a multitude of salts that had different reactions when combined with water. We tested the temperature change (^T) of each reaction with a calorimeter and found that LiCl, our main reactant, was the most effective salt that produced heat. After, we tested to find the best proportion of LiCl to water, which ended up being 1 g to 7 mL. We calculated the heat energy produced by this reaction using the equation Q = mc(^T). Where Q is the energy produced, m is the mass, c is the specific heat of the water and ^T is the change in temperature.
Reflection
Using different controlled substances to create heat was a new area of knowledge for me. While testing each salt and using the different reactions of each salt to create the best hand warmer sparked a very creative side in me. While different members of my group worked on the calculations, I learned how to cope with the materials and tools that were available to create the best working yet simple hand warmer.
I wish I contributed more in measuring and using the formulas to find out the specific heat for the salts. I was being very productive taking the lead for the design of the hand warmer but taking the time to design and build the hand warmer didn't leave much time to help with the data collection.