CALORIMETRY FOOD LAB
Name:____________________________
Period: _____
Date: ________________
Calorimetry is the science or act of measuring changes in state variables of a body for the purpose
of deriving the heat transfer associated with changes of its state due for example to chemical
reactions, physical changes, or phase transitions under specified constraints. Calorimetry is
performed with a calorimeter.
Calorimeter is an apparatus for measuring the amount of heat involved in a chemical reaction or
other process.
Materials:
Coke can with water
Stand (for holding specimens)
Thermometer
Water
Food Items: (These will be handed out)
Marshmallow s
Hot Cheetos
Cheeto Puffs
Gummy Bears
Part 1: Energy Flow of a System
1. You will be measuring the change in temperature of a calorimeter. To make sure we know how
much energy a system will absorb or lose we need to know the mass. Since you do not have a
scale to determine the mass of water, what other ways do you think you can use to get the
correct mass?
2. Show the calculations on how you determined the amount of water you have in your
calorimeter. (Density of water = ___________ )
3. Record the initial temperature of your calorimeter. ____________
4. Why do you think you need to record the initial temperature of the water in the calorimeter?
5. Why do you think you need to record the amount of water in grams that you have in your
calorimeter?
Part 2: Calculations of Energy
For this part of the lab you will be igniting different food sources to determine how much energy they
produce.
Mass of water
Initial Temp
Final Temp
Change in Temp
Cheetos Puff
6. What is the Heat Capacity of water? ___________
7. What is the overall change in temperature of the water? _________
8. What should be the units for your temperature? ___________ Why is this important for your
experiment?
9. Calculate the energy that was released from the Cheetos Puff. (Show your calculations)
10. How many Joules are there in a calorie? __________
11. After you get your energy from the Cheetos Puff, determine how many calories the single
Cheetos Puff has. (Show your calculations)
12. Do you think that you need to change the water after your first experiment? Why or why not?
Mass of water
Initial Temp
Final Temp
Change in Temp
Hot Cheetos
1 Calculate the energy that was released from the Hot Cheetos. (Show your calculations)
2 After you get your energy from the Cheetos Puff, determine how many calories the single
Cheetos Puff has. (Show your calculations)
Mass of water
Initial Temp
Final Temp
Change in Temp
Gummy Bear
1 Calculate the energy that was released from the Gummy Bear. (Show your calculations)
2 After you get your energy from the Cheetos Puff, determine how many calories the single
Cheetos Puff has. (Show your calculations)
Mass of water
Initial Temp
Final Temp
Change in Temp
Marshmallow
1. Calculate the energy that was released from the Marshmallow. (Show your calculations)
2. After you get your energy from the Cheetos Puff, determine how many calories the single
Cheetos Puff has. (Show your calculations)
Mass of water
Initial Temp
Final Temp
Change in Temp
Cheetos Puff
1. Calculate the energy that was released from the Cheetos Puff. (Show your calculations)
2. After you get your energy from the Cheetos Puff, determine how many calories the single
Cheetos Puff has. (Show your calculations)
What is the overall change in the temperature in the Plastic Cup?
What was the flow of the thermal energy in the Plastic Cup after the ice was added? Explain your
answer as to why you believe the energy flow is correct.
Part 3 Data Analysis
Using your data that you have collected and calculated, answer the following questions.
1 Which one of the food items that you burned produced the most energy? Explain.
2 Which one of the food items that you burned produced the most calories? Explain.
3 Is there a difference between energy and calories? Explain.
4 Do you think that your calculations for the energy released from the food items are correct? Why
is it correct or not correct?
5 What could you do to improve this experiment in order to get better results?
6 Create a Bar Graph that demonstrates the energy released in Joules for all the different food items.