A peanut is not a nut, but actually a seed. In addition to containing protein, a peanut is rich in fats and carbohydrates. Fats and carbohydrates are the major sources of energy for plants and animals.
The energy contained in the peanut actually came from the sun. Green plants absorb solar energy and use it in photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water are combined to make glucose. Glucose is a simple sugar that is a type of carbohydrate. Oxygen gas is also made during photosynthesis.
The glucose made during photosynthesis is used by plants to make other important chemical substances needed for living and growing. Some of the chemical substances made from glucose include fats, carbohydrates (such as various sugars, starch, and cellulose), and proteins.
Photosynthesis is the way in which green plants make their food, and ultimately, all the food available on earth. All animals and nongreen plants (such as fungi and bacteria) depend on the stored energy of green plants to live. Photosynthesis is the most important way animals obtain energy from the sun.
Oil squeezed from nuts and seeds is a potential source of fuel. In some parts of the world, oil squeezed from seeds-particularly sunflower seeds-is burned as a motor fuel in some farm equipment. In the United States, some people have modified diesel cars and trucks to run on vegetable oils.
Fuels from vegetable oils are particularly attractive because, unlike fossil fuels, these fuels are renewable. They come from plants that can be grown in a reasonable amount of time.
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No, it needs to be raw to really work for this experiment.
Can you use a cooked peanut
Any shelled nut will work but we find that a shelled peanut is easiest to work with.
Do you have to use a peanut?
Hmmm… I’ve never tried almonds before. What happens when you try it?
Is there a substitution we can use for the peanut? My son is allergic to them. Would an almond be okay?
The cheese puff has more fuel (fat or oil) to burn, while the tortilla was more water and flour…
my brother and I burned a cheese puff… the cheese puff caught on fire (because of the grease and fats) we put it in a glass of water and the fire got BIGGER the it went out… that was cool!!! we burned tortilla bread and it barely burnt… do you know why?
Cameron, age 13
roasted food… yum?
Wow! It sounds like you had quite an afternoon. Regarding your question about the apple and bread, remember that energy comes in many varieties. The heat and light from the fire when you light the peanut is certainly dramatic, but the burning bread (when it turned black) also demonstrates a release of energy, so we can still say that the bread had energy stored up. Some foods are more flammable, especially oily foods (think about the peanut and tortilla chip) but the main point is that however energy is released, we know it was originally stored in the food, and provides us with energy when we eat it.
We tried burning a variety of food items: tortilla chip, apple core, jelly bean, marshmallow, bread, dry pasta, pecan, and a peanut. We could not get the bread or apple core to light. They burned (had blackened areas) but did not catch fire, releasing energy in the form of light and heat. We know they both give us energy so why didn’t they burn? Would the apple burn if we heated it long enough to evaporate all the water? The jelly bean bubbled and shrunk but did not catch fire like the marshmallow. They both are mostly sugar, why didn’t the jelly bean burn? Did the marshmallow burn because of all the air mixed into the sugar? The tortilla chip was a surprise. We expected it to burn quickly, it looks so innocent, not fatty, but it took more than a 90 seconds. The nuts burned to longest, as predicted. Thanks for a fun afternoon!