text: what is a copper calorimeter? what are stemcells who was shakespear who was akasha who was harry houdini what are dinosaurs a copper calorimeter is a small solid block of pure copper in a vacuum that has thermocouple wires attached to it to measure the rise in temperature of the block with exposure of the block to controlled amounts of energy from a heat source. thermal loss must be minimized, readings must be immediate, calibrations must be highly accurate, temperature variations within the block must be eliminated (hence the need for a small block).