Jack Penna

Risch
B1
3/1/18

Effects of water on the mass of a match

Problem definition-
How will adding water affect the mass of a match?

Hypothesis-
If we dunk a match into water for thirty seconds, then it will gain mass

Variable identification-
➔ Independent variable= trials
➔ Dependent variable=the amount of water absorbed
➔ Constants
◆ Time under water
◆ Complete submergence
➔ Control= no water

Materials and methods-

Materials-
● Matches
● Water

Apparatus-
● Precision balance
● Tweezers
● 30ml beaker
● Timer

Procedure-
1. Gather materials
2. Pour water into beaker
 3. Weigh dry match on scale and record mass
4. Pick up match with tweezers
5. Place match completely underwater and hold for 30 seconds
6. Pullout match from water and place on scale to weigh and record mass
7. Repeat steps 3-5 for desired number of trials

Results: Data Representation

Trials Start Mass (grams) End mass (grams) Difference (grams)

Trial 1 0.07 0.12 0.05

Trial 2 0.08 0.17 0.09

Trial 3 0.08 0.17 0.09

Trial 4 0.08 0.17 0.09

Trial 5 0.08 0.16 0.08

Trial 6 0.07 0.15 0.08

Conclusion-

Data interpretation-
Based on the data from the experiment our hypothesis was correct in thinking the match would
gain mass. From the data it was discovered that the average change in mass due to the water
was .08 grams. This shows that a match is typically able to gain .08 of mass from water.

Validity-
The results from our experiment are valid because the trials were performed the same way
every time and the difference in mass was similar each time. There was only one outlier from
the experiment and that may have skewed the data. The average of the trials without trial
one(the outlier) was 0.086 grams.