Popcorn Labs
(In no particular order, only as located online)
1. Percent Water In Popcorn, Definite composition and Counting By
Weighing - Dr.Walt Volland Revised January 2003
In this activity you will build a simple balance and then measure the mass of your popcorn sample both before and after popping. This will allow you to calculate the mass of water lost by your popcorn during the popping process. From this you can calculate the % of the popcorn mass that is due to the water content. Popcorn and other materials typically have definite composition. In the case of popcorn the percent water is very consistent. The percent water influence's the "popping" potential for the corn. If the kernels are too "dry" they will not pop. The water is essential to the popping process.
http://www.scidiv.bcc.ctc.edu/wv/corn/pop.html
or
http://scidiv.bcc.ctc.edu/wv/corn/pop1.html
2. Popcorn Neutrino Lab
This one is kind of neat and is a popcorn lab simulating beta decay for nuclear chemistry in a pdf file for download:
http://icecube.wisc.edu/astronomy-in-ice/Popcorn/PcNeuCom.pdf
3. Popcorn Lab - Consumer Chemistry
This has a nice general background on popcorn and has procedures for both microwave and nonmicrowave water percentage labs from Advanced Technologies Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada:
http://www.atech.org/faculty/dunne/popcorn/popcorn.htm
4. Statistical Examination of the Weight Loss (yikes) occurring on Thermal Extrusion of H2O from a Representative Sample of Edible Cereal Plant
or How much Water does a Kernel of Popcorn Lose when You Heat It?
This one is a nice chem lab as introduction to the use of an analytic balance:
http://employees.oneonta.edu/kotzjc/LAB/popcorn.pdf
5. Analyzing the ‘Pop” in Popcorn - Student Lab Activity
To determine the percent water in popcorn, to use the ideal gas law to determine the pressure inside the kernel when it pops, and to solve gas law problems:
http://intro.chem.okstate.edu/ChemSource/Gases/Lab2.html
6. How much water is in popcorn?
To determine the percentage (by mass) of water in dry popcorn kernels from name brand and generic sources:
http://course1.winona.edu/cmiertschin/212/Syllabus/CHEM212_popcorn_lab.htm
This one has a reference for the origination of the lab:
[1] Lechtanski V. L. "The popcorn experiment" in Inquiry-Based Experiments in Chemisty Oxford University Press: Washington, D.C., 2000, pp 204-205.
7. A very complete, clever and impressive student activity which includes research in a real-life activity format to determine the water content of a variety of brands of popcorn for commercial purposes by Dr. R. Keenan of Providence High School in Charlotte, NC:
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/providence/keenan_files/k_labs/PopcornLab.htm
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/providence/keenan_files/k_labs/PopcornMemo.htm
Along with activity comes a very complete Student Checklist for the Popcorn Inquiry Activity:
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/providence/keenan_files/k_labs/PopcornCheckList.htm
This is in its entirety is also found at: (okay...we all share, don't we?)
http://faculty.coloradomtn.edu/jeschofnig/popcorn.htm
8. The Orville Lab:
http://www.webeducator.net/lab38/orville_lab.htm