why was the caloric density of the peanut lower than planters label indicated?

Question

In class we used calorimeters to determine the caloric density of one planters peanut, but the resulting number was much much lower than the planters label indicates. My teacher asked us why that is and of course i said because the serving size on the label is much larger than the one we used in the experiment. she said this was wrong. the only hint she gave is that every year in her class the experiments caloric density gets lower and lower. Does anyone know why?

Answer 1

1. The calorimeter is leaking more and more heat.
2. Teacher is using the same container of peanuts every year, and they are being partly eaten by insects and/or are losing oils by evaporation.
3. The "calorimeter" is actually a water-filled test tube placed above a burning peanut. This setup is often used in school labs and only captures a small fraction of the generated heat. However this doesn't explain the year-to-year decreasing trend.

Answer 2

Stop Back Pain Instantly