How Much Potential Energy Do Different Nuts Have? It seems that
at least once a year California has another energy crisis, and
almost as often, someone wonders what will happen when
California runs out of energy sources. Christopher Crews,
knowing that all living things contain energy, set out to prove
that different varieties of nuts have energy stores that can be
released by burning. I believe that burning different varieties
of nuts will produce energy, and that peanuts will produce the
most energy. Amount of heat produced - Number of nuts tested -
Amount of water - Ten each whole, raw, unshelled nuts: -
32-ounce coffee can - Two 10-ounce soup cans - Drill and bits -
Kitchen scale - Fill large coffee can with water. - Measure nut.
- Weigh water on kitchen scale. - Measure and record starting
water temperature. - Drill hole through nut. - Insert skewer
through hole in nut. - Heat nut with lighter and let the nut
burn fully. - Measure and record ending water temperature. -
Calculate BTU (starting temperature