Answer:
Heat loss to the environment.
Explanation:
I'll assume this is the complete question.
In an experiment to determine the specific heat capacity of a metal, heat is usually lost to the environment. This heat is lost to the surrounding air by convection, to other materials in contact with the experimental set up by conduction, and even some by radiation to objects far away. This heat loss can be as a result of not properly insulating against the environment, although no sufficient amount of insulation can guarantee absolute insulation. The effect of this heat loss is that more heat is needed than normal to reach the desired temperature in the experiment, and it takes a longer time to achieve this temperature, resulting in bigger values than normal. The best way to correct this effect is to determine the rate of heat loss through these forms (radiation, conduction and convention) and make amends for these losses in your final calculations.
