Safety Precautions

Isopropyl alcohol is a moderate fire risk and slightly toxic by ingestion or inhalation. Wear chemical splash goggles. Rinse
hands with water before leaving the laboratory.
PROCEDURE
Station 1: Measuring Length
1) Using a metric ruler, measure the length, width, and height of a textbook.
2) Record the measurements (in millimeters) in the data table in your notebook.
Textbook Measurement
Millimeters (mm)
Centimeters (cm)

Dimension
Length
Width
Height

Meters (m)

Volume (cm3)

Station 2: Measuring Volume

Label your 2 small beakers: W (Water) and I (Isopropyl alcohol). Only labeled beakers will be given chemicals
from the teacher.
Part A Direct Method
1)
2)
3)
4)

Gather water from the sink into your W (water) beaker about of the way (not all the way full).
Fill a test tube (carefully) with water from your W (water) beaker to the top.
Pour the water into a 100-mL graduated cylinder.
Record the volume of the water to the nearest milliliter in the Part A. Direct Method table. (Remember get to eye
level look at the bottom of the curve - the meniscus).
Part A. Direct Method
Milliliters (mL)
Microliters (L)

Liters (L)

Water
Part B Displacement Method
1) Fill the 100-mL graduated cylinder with water to the 50-mL mark. (Get water from the sink in your W (water)
beaker if necessary.)
2) Record the initial volume of water (in milliliters) in the Part B. Displacement Method table.
3) Obtain a screw and carefully add the screw to the graduated cylinder. NOTE: To avoid cracking the graduated
cylinder, tilt slightly sideways then add the screw.
4) Record the final volume of water (in milliliters) in the Part B. Displacement Method table.
5) Subtract the initial volume of the water from the final volume of water and record the amount of water displaced
(the volume of the screw in milliliters) in the Part B. Displacement Method table.
Initial Water
Volume (mL)

Part B. Displacement Method

Final Water Volume
Water Displaced
(mL)
(volume of screw)
(mL)

Station 3: Measuring Mass

1) Place Styrofoam cup on the balance.
2) Record the mass of the Styrofoam cup (in grams) in the Measuring Mass table.
3) At your lab table, measure 100 mL of water using a graduated cylinder (get more water from the sink if necessary
with your W (water) beaker.)
4) Carefully pour all of the water from the graduated cylinder into the Styrofoam cup.

5) Record the mass of the water and cup in the Measuring Mass table.
6) Subtract the mass of the cup from the total mass and record the difference (mass of the water in grams) in the
Measuring Mass table.

Mass of Cup (g)

Measuring Mass
Mass of Cup and
100 mL of water (g)

Mass of 100 mL of
water (g)

Station 4: Determining Density

1) Record the mass of the Styrofoam cup (in grams) in the Density Measurement table.
2) At your lab table, measure 20 mL of water using a 100-mL graduated cylinder (get more water from the sink if
necessary with your W (water) beaker.)
3) Carefully pour the 20 mL of water into the Styrofoam cup.
4) Record the mass of the water and cup in the Density Measurement table.
5) Subtract the mass of the cup from the total mass and record the difference (mass of water in grams) in the Density
Measurement table.
6) Discard the water (in the sink) and dry out cup (at lab table).
7) Take the W (water) beaker and request 20 mL of the sodium chloride (salt water) solution from your teacher.
8) Repeat steps 3 through 6 using 20 mL of salt water.
9) Take the I (Isopropyl alcohol) beaker and request 20 mL of the isopropyl alcohol solution from your teacher.
10) Repeat steps 3 through 5 using 20 mL of isopropyl alcohol. DO NOT POUR THE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL
DOWN THE SINK!
11) Record all measurements in the Density Measurement table.

Substance

Mass of
Cup (g)

Density Measurement
Mass of Cup
Mass of
and
Substance
Substance (g)
(g)

Volume of
Substance
(mL)

Density of
Substance
(g/mL)

Water
Salt Water
Isopropyl Alcohol
Disposal: Consult your teacher for appropriate disposal procedures.

Analysis
Post Lab Questions: Answer questions 1-3 in the Textbook Measurements table. Show your work and answer the
remaining questions in your notebook.
1) Convert the data from Station 1 from millimeters (mm) to centimeters (cm) and meters (m). [ Use the following
conversion factors: 10 mm = 1 cm & 1000 mm = 1 m ]. Record answers in the Station 1 Textbook Measurements
table.

2) Convert the data from Station 2 from milliliters (mL) to microliters (L) and liters (L). [ Use the following
conversion factors: 1000 L = 1 mL & 1000 mL = 1 L ]. Record answers in the Station 2 Part A. Direct Method
table.
3) Convert the length measurements of the textbook in Station 1 to volume by multiplying length, width, and height.
Record the answer in cubic centimeters (cm 3).
4) Calculate the density of each liquid in Station 4 by dividing the mass (grams) by volume (mL). Record the values
in the Station 4 Determining Density table.
5) At Station 3 the mass of 100-mL of water was determined. Using the data calculate the density of water. NOTE:
Give your answer in g/mL.
6) How does the density of water calculated in Question 5 compare to the density value obtained at Station 4?
7) Which liquid at Station 4 has a greater density than water? Which liquid has a density less than water?
Conclusion: In 3 paragraphs (approximately 5 sentences per paragraph) address the following prompts:
1) Summarize the lab procedures in your own words for the four Stations.
2) Discuss the results and address analysis from the post lab questions (focused on density Questions 5,6,7)
3) Write about the skills and information that you learned from this experiment. Give details about any
struggles or successes you exhibited.
TEACHER Example: This is ONLY an idea to help you see the process. Please go into more detail regarding your team
results. CONCLUSION MUST BE INDIVIDUAL! DO NOT copy the given example or a lab partner. Plagiarism is not
worth it!
In the Measurement in the Laboratory experiment there were four stations in which length, volume, mass, and
density were determined. The different measurements were taken and calculated using tools such as a ruler, graduated
cylinder, beaker, and balance (scale). The substances measured and compared were water from the sink, a salt water
solution, and an isopropyl alcohol solution. Throughout the process of measuring and collecting data in the data tables, all
safety rules and directions were followed.
The density results from the experiment were exactly what I had expected. I noticed that the density of water
calculated in Station 3 (1.00 g/mL) was very close in value to that of the density of water calculated in Station 4 (0.97
g/mL). Regardless of the volume or method used to obtain the density of a substance, the density of that substance should
be the same. Density is a physical property of a substance so no matter how much you have of it the density is the same.
My data showed that isopropyl alcohol had the smallest density (0.91 g/mL), water from the sink was in the middle (0.97
g/mL) and the salt water was the densest (0.98 g/mL).
In this lab, I practiced how to be safe in the lab, learned how to read a graduated cylinder, and used data I collected
to determine the density of various substances: sink water, a salt water solution, and isopropyl alcohol. I struggled with
understanding all the directions at first, but as I concentrated on reading directions and asking my lab teammates questions
I improved. I felt I was successful working with my team, converting the units like we have learned in class before, and
following all the safety rules.