Ilana Colon August 29, 2013 Penny Lab Write Up Purpose What is the number of pre and post

pennies in the mix? How can we figure this out? Hypothesis . My hypothesis was that there would be more post pennies than there would be pre. This is because for 1 it is easier to find post pennies and also it seemed lighter than a mix of pre pennies which were dramatically heavier. I believed it may have had around 6 or 7 post and 3 or 4 pre pennies. This is because the pennies before 1982 were heavier. They were made out of 95% copper and 5% tin. They were using more money to make them than they were worth so they change the materials. After 1982 they made pennies out of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. Materials The materials I used were: 10 post 1982 pennies, 10 pre 1982 pennies, 3 film containers, and a mix of 3 and 7 post and pre 1982 pennies. Procedures 1. Obtain 10 pennies dated before 1982. Weigh the ten pennies in a group. Determine the average mass of a pre-1982 penny. Record this information in the data table. 2. Repeat the above procedure with pennies dated after 1982 (post 1982 pennies). 3. Obtain a sealed film container with an unknown combination of pre and post 1982 pennies. NEVER OPEN THE FILM CONTAINER DURING THIS LAB. 4. The mass of the film container without the pennies is recorded on the container. Record the container letter and mass in the data table. 5. Determine the mass of the film container with the pennies in it. Record this in the data table. 6. Use the information you have just recorded to determine the mass of the pennies in the film container alone. (Remember, do not open the container). 7. Assuming that there are 10 pennies in the container, determine the average mass of a penny in the container. Record this in the data table. 8. Use your algebra to determine the number of pre and post 1982 pennies in the container.

Data
Mass of 10 pre 1982 pennies 24.4 g Average mass of a pre 1982 pennies 2.4 g Mass of 10 post 1982 pennies 30.3 g Average mass of a post 1982 pennies 3g Film canister letter B Mass of flim canister and pennies 36 g Mass of empty film canister (from top) 5.7 g Mass of pennies in the film canister 30.3 g Average mass of a penny in the film canister 3.03 g Number of pre 1982 pennies 3 pennies Number of post 1982 pennies 7 pennies

Conclusion After completing my lab I found that my hypothesis was correct. My observations suggest that there would be approximating 6 or 7 post pennies and there were 7. It also suggests that there would be 3 or 4 pre pennies and there were 3. I took this from the fact that the container was lighter than about 7 or 8 pre pennies so I knew there couldnt be more than that many. I learned that isotopes behave as a mass. Depending on how many there are makes how heavy it is. In this case the pre pennies were lighter because they have more copper in them than the post pennies do. I know that copper is lighter than zinc. It showed me basically how isotopes behave in an atom. This lab connected to what I have been learning in school because it helps me get a better understanding of how isotopes behave in an atom. It helped me understand more about how much they weigh and why they way that much. I believe that this was a good way to help me learn and that it showed more about how they work. It was connected to what we learned in class because it used everyday things to tell about isotopes which we have been learning about all week.