In addition to Ludwik's suggestion, I would possibly replace "transfer" with something a bit more indicative of getting the heat from the reaction site itself to an environment (water bath?) where it is actually measured. Maybe "heat evolution"?
It's possible (though a quibbly point on my part) to transfer a "bolus" of heat (in, for example, shock waves and soliton-like chemical reactions) from one point to another, and not really ever get it to contribute much to a temperature rise which can be measured.
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Down with categorical imperative!
flutzpah@yahoo.com
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________________________________
From: JMGreen <jmgreen@mail.manti.com>
To: Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 3:42:39 PM
Subject: [Phys-l] Calorimeter
An acquaintance asks the following:
"A quiz site I help with has calorimeter defined as'an instrument
that measures the heat transfer of a reaction'. Can this definition
be improved?"