Determination of Length, Mass, and Density

Leslie Romero PHY 150-100 Gilberto Camilo September 3, 2013 CVCC

Table of Contents
1 Introduction .... .Page 3 2 Theory .. ...Page 3 3 Experimental Procedure and Results ...Page 3 4 Discussion ....... Page 8 5 Conclusion ....... Page 8 6 Bibliography .. Page 10

1-

Introduction:

The purpose of this lab procedure is to help students to learn to work with length and mass measuring devices using a caliper, micrometer, balance, and ruler. Well learn to use each device properly and help calculate basic measurements and measurement error. 2- Theory: This lab practice introduces the use of significant figures. The use is for rounding numbers. Converting millimeters to centimeters and using formulas to determine volume, density, and mass will be needed in this procedure 3- Experimental Procedure: The following tools used in this lab was: balance, meter stick, caliper, micrometer, plastic tube, metal cylinder, piece of optical fiber, a small sphere, and a small metal square. Students are to measure each of the following shape and record the measurements below.

Obs. The steps 1-8 of the procedure are classified as preliminary measurements. They serve as an aid in understanding the principles of the caliper and micrometer as measuring- devices. 1) Using the metric scale of the Caliper, make five measurements of the diameter of the plastic tube and record. 2) Calculate the average diameter of the tube and the percent error of each one of the measurements. TABLE 1. Take the error as the absolute difference between the measurement and the average.

Table I Measurements Total of Times Measured Diameter of Marker Measured by the Caliper (mm) Percent Error (In %) 1 2 3 4 5 18.33 17.94 17.70 17.49 17.13 3.44 1.24 .11 1.30 3.33

3) Now examine the Micrometer and watch how the scale reading changes as you carefully close the jaws. Be sure you do not force the screw. If your instrument should have a ratchet R attached to the head H, it will slip when the jaws are touching, and thus protect the screw threads. Zero the apparatus if necessary: the jaws together supposed to show 0.000 in the display. 4) Measure the diameter of the two pieces of wire, three measurements, and calculate the average.

5) Compare the average diameters (percent differences) of those wires. TABLE II. Total of Measurements 1 2 3 Diameter of Copper Wire (mm) .206 .209 .204 Percent Difference of Copper Wire (%) 1.44 1.44 2.42 Diameter of Silver Wire (mm) .504 .504 .505 Percent Difference of Silver Wire (%) 0 0 .198

6) Measure the thickness of a sheet of paper in your book with the micrometer. Make three trials by using different sheets. Record and determine the average. 3 Measurements of Different Pages Thickness of Paper (mm) 1 2 3 .061 .062 .060

The average thickness of the three sheets of textbook paper is .061mm. 7) Now measure the total thickness of about all the numbered sheets in your textbook with the caliper (three trials) and determine and record the average. 3 Measurements of 597 Pages Thickness 597 pages (mm) 1 2 3 18.47 18.45 18.43

The average thickness of the three measurements is 18.45mm.

8) Calculate the percentage difference between the average for one sheet alone (Micrometer), and the one sheet using all the numbered sheets (Caliper). TABLE III. Table III Measurements Number of Measurements 1 2 3 Single sheet from Textbook Percent Difference (%) 6.35 6.35 6.35 365 pages from Textbook Percent Difference (%) .702 .702 .702

9) Now measure the volume and mass of each one of the two metallic pieces (square and a sphere) using the convenient measurement device. 10) Record the measurements and compute the density of each one (remember that density is measured in g/cm3). 11) Compare the percent differences: calculated densities versus the values in page 5 of this procedure. TABLE IV. Table IV Measurements Object Mass (grams) Sphere (Steel) Cube (Brass) 134.35 16.02 8.39 3.90 44.90 Volume Density Percent Differences (%) (cm3) 5.71 (g/cm3) 7.86 .506

12) (Cylinder) Measure the diameter with the micrometer, measure the length with a meter stick, measure the mass, and observe the material that it is made. Record the dimensions in centimeters. Make the calculations for the volume and density. Calculate the percentage difference of this density with the value of density given in page 5. TABLE V.

Table V Measurements Percent Difference (%) Diameter Length (mm) 2.98 6.365 (cm) 60 Mass (grams) 161.85 Volume Density (cm3) 19.12 (g/cm3) 8.47

Conclusion After taking all the calculations and results of measurements, getting the average and measurement error, and using the proper measurement devices, the following was observed: using the metric scale of the Caliper for the plastic tube, the results of the five measurements came out really close. Out of the two different ways of measuring the size of the sheets of paper, using the micrometer had more accurate measurements. The difference between the mass, volume, and density measurements from table IV and IV, table IV had a lower percent difference and had more accurate measurements. After doing this lab, I was able to have more practice using measurement devices and learn the proper way to use them. I learned the difference between accuracy and precision. It was a helpful experiment that taught me to determine length, mass, and density.

Bibliography Randall D. Knight, Brian Jones, Stuart Field (2007) Significant Figures, P.13, College Physics: A Strategic Approach Edition, Pearson Education, Inc., (San Francisco, CA) Prof. G. Camilo. Lab Procedure 01. 28 August 2009. Web. 19 August 2009. <http://www.cvcc.blackboard.com/ Prof. G. Camilo. Significant Figures 03. 28 August 2009. Web. 19 August 2009. <http://www.cvcc.blackboard.com/