Worksheet 2- Adapted from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zdjfr82/revision/7

The energy content of food

The energy content in a food sample can be measured using
simple calorimetry.

Calorimetry
To carry out this experiment, you need to:
1. pour cold water into a boiling tube
2. record the starting temperature of the water
3. record the mass of the food sample
4. heat the food until it catches fire
5. heat the water using the flame from the burning food
6. record the final temperature of the water

Investigating the energy content in a food sample

Calculations
Work out the energy transferred to the water with this equation:
energy transferred (J) = mass of water (g) 4.2 (J/gC)
temperature increase (C)

Question
When 0.5 g of food is burned, 10 cm3 of water warms up by 20C.
What is the energy content of the food in J/g?
A

1 cm3 of water has a mass of 1 g

energy transferred to water = 10 4.2 20 = 840 J
energy content of food = 840 0.5 = 1680 J/g

Fair testing
When comparing different foods, it is important to carry out a fair test.
Several variables should be kept constant:

the starting temperature of the water

the temperature increase

the distance of the flame from the boiling tube

More reliable results can be obtained by repeating the experiment. The

biggest source of error in calorimetry is usually unwanted heat loss to the
surroundings.
Use the above information to calculate the energy in each of the foods you
tested.

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