Food Calories

Flaming Cheetos! Oh, the horror! Seriously stinky and messy lab in which snack foods are set alight and used to heat up some water.  Illustrates the heat transfer, the idea of food Calories vs heat calories, and the greasy nature of snack foods. Bon appetit!

Student Objectives

  • Learn the difference between a calorie of heat and a food Calorie
  • Measure the amount of heat released when food is burned
  • Determine the number of food Calories per serving of food
  • Calculate the amount of experimental error in the results
  • Examine sources of experimental error and suggest improvements
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