The Mechanical Equivalent of Heat Objectives Study how to determine mechanical work, how to calculate the heat energy added by measuring the change in temperature of a substance and how mechanical work is transformed into heat. The work will be produced by turning a crank connected to an aluminum cylinder around which a nylon rope will be wrapped several times. A mass will be suspended from one end of the rope and as the crank is turned friction between the cylinder and rope will convert mechanical work into thermal energy raising the temperature of the cylinder. The cylinder temperature will be measured by a semiconductor device known as a thermistor embedded in the cylinder.
Thermistors change their resistance to the flow of electricity as the temperature changes.
Thus you will indirectly measure temperature by measuring the resistance of the thermistor. This device is interfaced this with the computer so that you can read the change of temperature on the computer. Using measured number of turns, the change in temperature and the equations, you can compare the mechanical work performed with the heat added to the cylinder.