Economy Calorimeter

How many calories were in that snack? This economy calorimeter allows students to explore the heat energy given off from buring different foods you supply, and thus determine their caloric content.

The easily operated device consists of a metal cylinder with a flask suspended above a holding unit. Simply place 100 ml of water in the beaker and place an item on the holding unit, then light the item with a match and alow it to burn out. The heat energy absorbed by the water will cause it to increase in temperature, and this heat energy is the equal to the energy released by the food item. Using the mass lost during burning and the increase in the water's temperature, the caloric content of the food item can be calculated.