Jon+Uhlenhake+and+Lance+Heffner


 * How the Density of Burned Wood Affects its Heat Output in Calories**

Problem- Which species of wood burns the hottest? Which one burns the hottest?

Intro- The purpose of this experiment is to find out if the density of wood has any effect to the amount of heat that is released, so that people who use wood to heat their houses can use the most efficient wood possible. This is an issue of rising importance because wood is the third most common fuel for heating houses right behind gas and electricity in the US today. The six chosen wood species are the most common in the surrounding region. The woods chosen are White Ash, Birch, Cherry, Elm, Maple, and White Oak. The following is the average densities of each wood species that will be tested (“Wood Densities”). It is believed that woods with higher densities will produce higher outputs of heat per unit of volume (Nix).


 * Wood Type || Density (10^3 kg/m^3) (Theoretical) ||
 * White Oak || 0.77 ||
 * White Ash || 0.75 ||
 * Maple || 0.68 ||
 * Birch || 0.67 ||
 * Cherry || 0.63 ||
 * (American) Elm || 0.57 ||

Hypothesis- If wood is more dense, it will take longer to burn and also burn hotter.

Materials- Total Cost: approx. $50
 * 2in. X 1in. X 1/2in. slivers of White Ash, Birch, Cherry, Elm, Maple, White Oak woods {Free}
 * 1 Bunsen burner (with adequate gas supply) {$30}
 * 2 pairs of safety goggles {$10}
 * Matches {$3}
 * Stopwatch {$5}
 * [Materials for measuring calorie output: we are going to learn this in class soon so we will fill this in later]
 * Open area with a non-flammable surface

Fill in with appropriate calorimetry materials. Ms. Miller

Procedure-
 * 1) Gather all materials.
 * 2) Put on the safety goggles.
 * 3) Light the Bunsen burner with the matches.
 * 4) Place a sliver of wood into the flame for 10 seconds (use the same spot every time).
 * 5) Remove wood from flames.
 * 6) Measure length of time the wood spent burning, using a stopwatch. Record these measurements.
 * 7) Measure the calorie output of each wood sample, [again we are going to learn this in class, we will further elaborate once we have obtained the knowledge]
 * 8) Complete steps 4-7 with each sliver of wood.
 * 9) Record all data in a table.
 * 10) Publish data.

Works Cited

"Alliance For Green Heat." ForGreenHeat.Org. N.p., 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .

"Burning Wood - Which Is the Best to Burn?" TheFireplaceChannel.Com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .

Kurkeet, Rick. "Wood Combustion Basics." Epa.Gov. N.p., 02 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .

Nix, Steve. "What Wood Burns the Best?" AboutForestry.Com. N.p., 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .

"Wood Densities." Wood Densities. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .