calorimeter(need help asap)

AFTER you've done your research and concluded your experiments, it is time to prepare for the science fair. Ask specific questions about preparing for a science fair, including how to set up your display board, how to prepare a presentation, etc. (Please post questions about selecting a project or conducting your experiment by posting in the appropriate "area of science" forum.)

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abbysmiley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:08 pm
Occupation: student 8th grade
Project Question: i am doing the burning calories project. in converting 3 rice cakes it comes up to 3800 calories ..started with 200 g of water..went from 25.6 celsius to 45 celsius..did i do something wrong as this seems high?
Project Due Date: tomorrow
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

calorimeter(need help asap)

Post by abbysmiley »

Hello..we are completing the Burning calories project. i have calculated the amt of heat capture..but now dont know what to do with the pre and post weight of the food..can anyone help?
tdaly
Former Expert
Posts: 1415
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 11:27 pm
Occupation: Planetary Scientist
Project Question: N/A
Project Due Date: N/A
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: calorimeter(need help asap)

Post by tdaly »

Hi abbysmiley,

Just to make sure I'm on the same page as you are, you are doing the "Burning Calories: How Much Energy is Stored in Different Types of Food?" project, right? (URL: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p012.shtml)

The amount of heat (energy) liberated by burning the food is

Q = m*c*(Tf-Ti)

where Q is energy in the form of heat, m is the mass of water in the container, c is the heat capacity of water, and (Tf-Ti) is the difference between the final and initial temperatures of the water. Only the energy in the part of the food that burned was released and (mostly) transferred to the water. That is why the pre- and post-test weights are so important--their difference tells you how much food actually burned.

mass of the food before being burned - mass of the food after being burned = mass of food burned

Let's say, for example, that you did an experiment burning a marshmallow and calculated that Q = 12,500 calories (with a little c). The weight of the marshmallow before the experiment was 6 grams; the weight of the marshmallow after the experiment was 3 grams. The mass of the marshmallow that burned was 8 grams - 4 grams = 4 grams. Here's the important part: if we want to know the energy released per gram of marshmallow, we need to divide Q by the mass of the marshmallow that burned:

energy content per gram of marshmallow = Q/mass of marshmallow burned
energy content per gram of marshmallow = 12,500 calories/4 grams
energy content per gram of marshmallow = 3,125 calories/gram

If I want to know the total energy content of the marshmallow, I multiple the energy content per gram of marshmallow by the pre-test weight of the marshmallow:

energy content of marshmallow = (energy content per gram of marshmallow)*(weight of marshmallow in grams)
energy content of marshmallow = (3125 calories/gram)*(8 grams) = 25,000 calories.

Let me know if you still have questions; I'm happy to help.
All the best,
Terik
abbysmiley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:08 pm
Occupation: student 8th grade
Project Question: i am doing the burning calories project. in converting 3 rice cakes it comes up to 3800 calories ..started with 200 g of water..went from 25.6 celsius to 45 celsius..did i do something wrong as this seems high?
Project Due Date: tomorrow
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: calorimeter(need help asap)

Post by abbysmiley »

Good Morning,
Thanks so much for your help! Where did the 8 and the 4 come from?
tdaly
Former Expert
Posts: 1415
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 11:27 pm
Occupation: Planetary Scientist
Project Question: N/A
Project Due Date: N/A
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: calorimeter(need help asap)

Post by tdaly »

Hi abbysmiley,

Oh dear, that's a typo on my part--I used 6 grams of marshmallows in one place and then 8 grams in another place. Here is a corrected version. (The corrected part is in bold).

-----------------------------------------------

Let's say, for example, that you did an experiment burning a marshmallow and calculated that Q = 12,500 calories (with a little c). The weight of the marshmallow before the experiment was 8 grams; the weight of the marshmallow after the experiment was 4 grams. The mass of the marshmallow that burned was 8 grams - 4 grams = 4 grams. Here's the important part: if we want to know the energy released per gram of marshmallow, we need to divide Q by the mass of the marshmallow that burned:

energy content per gram of marshmallow = Q/mass of marshmallow burned
energy content per gram of marshmallow = 12,500 calories/4 grams
energy content per gram of marshmallow = 3,125 calories/gram

If I want to know the total energy content of the marshmallow, I multiple the energy content per gram of marshmallow by the pre-test weight of the marshmallow:

energy content of marshmallow = (energy content per gram of marshmallow)*(weight of marshmallow in grams)
energy content of marshmallow = (3125 calories/gram)*(8 grams) = 25,000 calories.

Let me know if you still have questions; I'm happy to help.
All the best,
Terik
abbysmiley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:08 pm
Occupation: student 8th grade
Project Question: i am doing the burning calories project. in converting 3 rice cakes it comes up to 3800 calories ..started with 200 g of water..went from 25.6 celsius to 45 celsius..did i do something wrong as this seems high?
Project Due Date: tomorrow
Project Status: I am finished with my experiment and analyzing the data

Re: calorimeter(need help asap)

Post by abbysmiley »

ahhhh ok totally get it now..you are wonderful xoxoxo
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