Soda can calorimeter by Flinn

In chemistry yesterday we set up the Soda can calorimeter experiment.  I found this set up a bit better than using a wire mesh sitting on top of the ring clamp. More heat was transferred to the can that way. The other modification that my colleague and I made was to use a watch glass and a large paper clip to put the food sample on for burning. The students really enjoyed the lab. I think everyone was fascinated to watch the cheeseballs go up in flames. The really do burn well compared to the marshmallows. Hopefully they will make the connection between the calories they consume and the unit of energy. The other nice thing about Flinn's write up is their easy to follow calculations set out step by step.