6th Grade · Science · Activity · shared by Luke Morgan
This free 6th Grade Science activity explores chemical energy in food. Students analyze calorimetry data comparing marshmallows and peanuts.
Energy Investigation: The Marshmallow vs. The Peanut
How much energy is hidden inside the food you eat? In this activity, you will analyze data from a calorimetry experiment. Scientists use this process to measure the chemical potential energy stored in different substances. By burning food samples and measuring how much they heat up a container of water, we can determine which foods provide the most fuel for our bodies.
Scientists use a method called calorimetry to measure the energy stored in various types of food. This process involves burning a small food sample underneath a container filled with a specific amount of water. As the food burns, it releases chemical energy in the form of heat, which causes the water temperature to rise. A calorie is the standard unit used to measure this heat energy. One Calorie (also known as a kilocalorie) represents the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by exactly one degree Celsius. Foods that contain more energy will produce a larger temperature increase in the water during the test. In a recent laboratory experiment, researchers compared the energy content of a marshmallow and a peanut. Both samples had the same mass of one gram to ensure a fair comparison. The marshmallow consists mostly of sugar and air, which burns very quickly. In contrast, the peanut contains a high concentration of fats and oils. These fats are dense molecules that store a significant amount of chemical energy. During the trial, the burning peanut released enough heat to raise the water temperature by thirty degrees Celsius. The burning marshmallow only raised the water temperature by twelve degrees Celsius. This data helps us understand how different nutrients provide different levels of fuel for living things.