Assessing Mathematical Models for Temperature-Dependent Heat Capacity
This procedure walks students through writing a Python program that accepts heat capacity and temperature data and fits the data to three different mathematical models. Students are then asked to compute the residuals for each fit and evaluate which model best succeeds in explaining the experimental data.
Students should have a good understanding of Python before attempting this activity. The introductory tutorial linked below provides the necessary training students will need before attempting the project:
The Temperature-Dependent Heat Capacity Mathematical Modeling tutorial is available as a PDF below. It uses data from a 1939 report by the National Bureau of Standards, available here and in the instructor GitHub repository. If you'd like to use the tutorial in a class, please let me know! If you are an instructor and would like access to the GitHub repository to access the key, please email me from your institutional account.
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