Can you measure the energy locked inside a nut by setting it on fire? You mount a peanut and a cashew on paper clips, light each one, and hold it under a test tube filled with water. After one minute of burning, you measure the rise in water temperature and the weight the nut lost.
From those two numbers you calculate the calories released per gram. The cashew nut stored more energy per gram than the peanut in this test.
This method is a simple version of calorimetry (measuring heat from a burning substance).
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that nuts are able to store energy and the cashew nut will have a higher energy storage capacity than the peanut.
Calorimetry measures the heat energy stored inside a substance by burning it. Here, you mount a peanut and a cashew on paper clips, light each one, and hold it under a test tube filled with water. As the nut burns, you measure how much the water temperature rises and how much weight the nut lost. From those two numbers, you calculate the calories released per gram — revealing which nut stored more energy.
When a burning nut sits beneath a test tube of water, heat moves from the flame into the cooler water above it. You mount a peanut and a cashew on paper clips, light each one, and measure the rise in water temperature after one minute of burning. From that temperature rise and the weight the nut lost, you calculate the calories released per gram — a simple version of calorimetry. The cashew stored more energy per gram than the peanut.
Method & Materials
You will make a small hole in each nut, mount them on paper clips, fill a test tube with water, set the nut on fire, and measure the temperature of the water and the weight of the nut before and after burning.
You will need a packet of peanuts, a packet of cashew nuts, 2 paper clips, a lighter, a pin, a measuring cylinder, 2 test tubes, 200g of water, a digital weighing machine, a stopwatch, and a thermometer.
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The experiment showed that the nuts contained energy and the cashew nut stored a higher amount of energy than the peanut. Eating nuts instead of drinking coffee or soft drinks when feeling tired is a healthier alternative and just as tasty.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows that nuts can store energy and can be a healthier alternative to coffee or soft drinks.
Also Consider
Consider using different types of nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pistachios. Also, try using 200g of water instead.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
