Re: Why did my popped corn have higher mass than my kernels?

Hi, Mary.

I pondered over your information for awhile because, as you say, it doesn't 
appear to follow the laws that one would expect.

I know you repeated the experiment twice but there is a measuring error at 
some point.  It looks as if it is in determining the mass of the kernels. A 
mass of 3 g of kernels occupying a volume of 15 ml results in the kernels 
having a density of 0.2 g/ml, which is very light when you compare it at 
water with a density of 1 g/ml.  

I weighed different volumes of kernels to check the density and it comes 
in around 0.84 g/ml.  I think if you check the measurements once again you 
will find that 15 ml of kernels actually have a mass of about 13 g.  

With 13 g of kernels converting to 10 g of popped corn, and allowing for 
the moisture lost during popping, your experiment will then follow the  
hypothesis as expected.