Question

In the Energy and Specific Heat lab, what temperature should be recorded as the final temperature of the water when measuring the food sample?
A. The temperature of the water when the food sample is first lit
B. The temperature of the water when the food sample has finished burning completely.
C. The highest temperature the water reaches as the sample burns
D. The temperature of the water after the food sample ash has been removed

Answer 1

Answer:

B. The temperature of the water when the food sample has finished burning completely.

Explanation:

Heat or thermal energy is a form of energy that transfers from one object to another due to a temperature difference between the objects. The units for heat are joules or calories.

Calorimetry is the measurement of heat energy released or absorbed in a chemical  reaction. A calorimeter is used in calorimetry. The calorimeter operates on the Law of Conservation of Energy which states that energy is never created or destroyed but is transformed from one form to another or between objects.

In food calorimetry, the energy released when food is burned is measured by recording the rise in temperature of water in a calorimeter when a given mass of a food sample is burned completely.

Energy can be calculated using the formula: Q = mc ∆T

where Q = the energy in joules or calories, m = the mass in grams, c = specific heat and ∆T = the change in temperature (final temperature - initial temperature).

The temperature of the water when the food sample has finished burning completely is taken as the final temperature of the water. The sample is allowed to smolder for sometime before recording the final  water temperature. This is because the water temperature will continue to rise after the  flame has gone out.