How to Make an Oil Calorimeter

Keeping track of your calorie intake can be essential to your diet. Some items do not include the nutritional facts on the packaging. In these cases, a calorimeter can be used to determine the amount of calories in foods. These devices work by capturing the heat energy released from food with the use of a liquid with a high heat-absorbing capacity such as oil. You can build your own oil calorimeter with the use of items commonly found in your household.

Things You'll Need

• Plywood board
• Large tin can
• Small tin can
• Can opener
• Pen
• Ruler
• Unsharpened pencil
• Hammer
• Nail
• Scale (calibrated in grams)
• Notepad
• Cooking oil
• Thermometer (calibrated in Celcius)
• Marshmallow
• Straight needle
• Pliers
• Cork
• Lighter
• Heat-resistant gloves
• Wooden spoon

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Instructions

• 1

  Lay a plywood board over your work area to keep the area clean and free from hazards. Place the large and small tin can on the plywood board. Use a can opener to remove the top and bottom of the large tin can. Remove the top of the small tin can as well.

• 2

  Use a ruler to measure the height of the small tin can. Divide the height by four. Make a mark with a pen approximately one-fourth of the way down from the top of the small tin can. Make a mark identical to the first on the opposite side of the can.

• 3

  Use a nail with the same diameter as the un-sharpened pencil to make two holes in the small tin can. Hammer the nail into the can at each mark. Make eight additional holes along the bottom edge of the large tin can as well.

• 4

  Insert the un-sharpened pencil through the holes in the small tin can until the pencil comes out of both holes.

• 5

  Weigh the empty small tin can. Record the number on a notepad. Fill the small tin can with cooking oil approximately halfway. Weigh the filled tin can and record the filled tin can's weight on a notepad.

• 6

  Subtract the empty tin can's weight from the filled tin can's weight. The subtraction will give you the weight of the oil. Record the weight of the oil on your notepad.

• 7

  Measure the temperature of the oil with a thermometer. Record the oil's temperature on a notepad.

• 8

  Weigh the marshmallow on the scale and record the weight value.

• 9

  Insert the sharp end of the needle into the marshmallow. Insert the opposite end of the needle into the cork with pliers. Place the cork on a flat surface with the marshmallow facing upwards. Use a lighter to light the marshmallow.

• 10

  Place the large tin can over the cork and marshmallow so they are in the center of the large tin can. Insert the filled small tin can inside the large tin can. The pencil will rest on both edges of the large tin can, which will stop the small tin can from falling inside.

• 11

  Allow the marshmallow to burn until the flame goes out on its own.

• 12

  Put on heat-resistant gloves for protection. Remove the small tin can from the large tin can and place the tin can on the plywood board.

• 13

  Stir the oil with a wooden spoon. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil. Record the value on your notepad.

• 14

  Measure the weight of the burned marshmallow remains. Record the value on your notepad.

• 15

  Subtract the temperature of the cold oil from the hot oil's temperature to calculate the increase in temperature. Multiply the increase in temperature by the weight of the oil. The result will be the amount of calories captured by the calorimeter.