Lab 1: Density Block Lab
Introduction
Using only a ruler, a calculator, and the formula for density, students were expected to find the mass of a block of certain material with the density listed on a face of the block of material, in our case, wood. Density is defined as the amount of mass per cubic unit of volume, mathematically expressed as "Density=mass/volume."
Procedure
The materials that students were provided with were a ruler, a block of material, and a calculator. We began the experiment by measuring the dimensions of the block (length, width, and height). We multiplied these three values together with a calculator in order to find the volume. Afterwards, we utilized the density given on the block of wood as well as the volume we found in the previous step and substituted the values we found into the formula for density. By doing so, we were able to solve for the mass of the block.
Volume=Length*Width*Height
Our measurements were as follows:
Volume=2.51 cm * 2.50 cm *2.49 cm
=15.62475 cm^3
= 15. 6 cm^3 (three sig figs)
Then,
Density= Mass/Volume
Therefore,
Mass=Density*Volume (rearranging the equation)
=( 0.65 g/(cm^3))*15.6 (cm^3)
=10.1560875 g
= 10.2 g (three sig figs)
Data
In the end, we arrived at a final mass of 10.2 grams after applying significant figures. The actual mass of the block, however, turned out to be 10.5 g. As a result, there was a margin of error of 2.85%.
Conclusion
The purpose of this lab was to teach students about the application of density and to witness firsthand how it applies to the real world. I believe that this purpose was indeed fulfilled; I gained a deeper understanding about the application of density as well as its relationship to mass and volume.
There may have been room for possible error during the measurement stage of the experiment; we made a rough estimate of the measurements based off of the certain digits, and these estimates may have thrown off our measurements; we suspected that the block was a cube and thus kept our measurements within 0.01 cm of what we believed was the side length. This assumption we formed beforehand may have thrown off our calculations.
I learned about the relationship between mass and volume and how they apply to density through this lab. By exercising my manipulation of the variables in the equation for density, I also improved my algebraic skills and gained a deeper insight into how the factors of density come together and interact.
In the future, I would like to use a block made from a different material and attempt to figure out the mass of this block. I would also like to try this same experiment out on a more complex object such as a pyramid or cylinder and observe how accurate my calculations would be then.
Using only a ruler, a calculator, and the formula for density, students were expected to find the mass of a block of certain material with the density listed on a face of the block of material, in our case, wood. Density is defined as the amount of mass per cubic unit of volume, mathematically expressed as "Density=mass/volume."
Procedure
The materials that students were provided with were a ruler, a block of material, and a calculator. We began the experiment by measuring the dimensions of the block (length, width, and height). We multiplied these three values together with a calculator in order to find the volume. Afterwards, we utilized the density given on the block of wood as well as the volume we found in the previous step and substituted the values we found into the formula for density. By doing so, we were able to solve for the mass of the block.
Volume=Length*Width*Height
Our measurements were as follows:
Volume=2.51 cm * 2.50 cm *2.49 cm
=15.62475 cm^3
= 15. 6 cm^3 (three sig figs)
Then,
Density= Mass/Volume
Therefore,
Mass=Density*Volume (rearranging the equation)
=( 0.65 g/(cm^3))*15.6 (cm^3)
=10.1560875 g
= 10.2 g (three sig figs)
Data
In the end, we arrived at a final mass of 10.2 grams after applying significant figures. The actual mass of the block, however, turned out to be 10.5 g. As a result, there was a margin of error of 2.85%.
Conclusion
The purpose of this lab was to teach students about the application of density and to witness firsthand how it applies to the real world. I believe that this purpose was indeed fulfilled; I gained a deeper understanding about the application of density as well as its relationship to mass and volume.
There may have been room for possible error during the measurement stage of the experiment; we made a rough estimate of the measurements based off of the certain digits, and these estimates may have thrown off our measurements; we suspected that the block was a cube and thus kept our measurements within 0.01 cm of what we believed was the side length. This assumption we formed beforehand may have thrown off our calculations.
I learned about the relationship between mass and volume and how they apply to density through this lab. By exercising my manipulation of the variables in the equation for density, I also improved my algebraic skills and gained a deeper insight into how the factors of density come together and interact.
In the future, I would like to use a block made from a different material and attempt to figure out the mass of this block. I would also like to try this same experiment out on a more complex object such as a pyramid or cylinder and observe how accurate my calculations would be then.
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