All seeds contain a tiny bit of water whose job is to keep cells alive until sprouting.
This small amount of moisture makes the popping of popcorn possible. The expansion of the gas allows the soft material from the kernel to puff. This experiment is designed to determine if the amount of water in the kernel affects the popping ability of the seed. Spread the corn in a single layer in the shallow pan and bake in your preheated oven for approximately 90 minutes. Next, count out the same number of kernels.