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So for a thermodynamics assignment I'm doing, I need to build a solar oven and then use that to gather data. That bit's fine. The problem I'm having is that I need to use this data to calculate the experimental heat capacity of water.

According to our textbook, the heat capacity can be calculated by rearranging the equation Q = m c deltaT, but because of the nature of the experiment we have been asked to perform, we can't find Q except through the same equation which requires that we know the heat capacity.

How can I find either
- Q the amount of energy transferred to the system (without needing the heat capacity of water)
- c the heat capacity of water (without needing the amount of energy transferred to the system)
Hopefully, any other variables that need to be calculated can be found without too much extra measuring equipment.

Is it even possible to calculate this information in the context of a solar oven?

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You need to somehow determine the rate of heat input (Q-dot) from the sun to the oven. That number times the duration of the oven's exposure to the sun will tell you what Q is in your equation.

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