ROLL NO.

130150119002

MEASURING MASS
There are various types of laboratory balances. The triple
beam beam balance you use may look somewhat different
from the one in the Figure below, however all beam balances
have some common features.

Carrying the Balance

1. Be sure all riders are back to the zero point.
2. Place one hand under the balance and the other hand on the support (arm)
to carry the balance.

Using the Balance

1. Zero the balance before you determine the mass of any substance.
a) Slide all of the riders back to the zero point.
b) Check to see that the pointer swings freely along the scale.
c) Use the adjustment screw to obtain an equal swing of the beams, if
necessary. You do not have to wait for the pointer to stop at the zero point.
The beam should swing an equal distance above and below the zero point.
You must repeat this procedure to "zero" the balance every time you use it.

2. Never put a hot object directly on the balance pan. Any

dry chemical that is to be massed should be placed on
paper or in a container. Never pour chemicals directly on
the balance pan. Remember to mass the paper or container
before adding the substance.

3. Once you have placed the object to be massed on the

pan, move the riders along the beams beginning with
the largest mass first. If the beams are notched, make
sure all riders are in a notch before you take a reading.
Remember; the pointer does not have to stop swinging,
but the swing should be an equal distance above and
below the zero point on the scale.

373.35 g

Meter stick.
The simplest way to measure length is to use an ordinary meter
stick. In the laboratory, our meter sticks are carefully calibrated in
centimeters with a millimeter least count. That is, the millimeter is
the smallest subdivision on the meter stick, which can be seen in
Figure 1. This means the millimeter is the unit of the smallest
reading that can be made without estimating.

Figure 1. This meter stick is

calibrated in centimeters
(shown as the numbered major
divisions) with a least count of
millimeters.

Figure 2. An example of a
meter stick reading. The
object's length is
measured to be 41.64 cm.

A measurement reading usually has one more significant figure than the least count reading
of the scale. The least count of our laboratory meter sticks is 0.1cm and therefore a
reading can be made to 0.01cm.

Vernier caliper.
A vernier caliper (or vernier), is a
common tool used in laboratories and
industries to accurately determine the
fraction part of the least count division.
The vernier is convenient when
measuring the length of an object, the
outer diameter (OD) of a round or
cylindrical object, the inner diameter
(ID) of a pipe, and the depth of a hole.

Unlike a meter stick, the vernier caliper allows the fractional part of the
smallest division to be accurately determined, not merely estimated.
The vernier consists of a main scale engraved on a fixed ruler and an
auxiliary scale engraved on a moveable jaw. The moveable jaw is free to
slide along the length of the fixed ruler. The main scale is calibrated in
centimeters with the smallest division in millimeters. The moveable
auxiliary scale has 10 divisions that cover the same distance as 9
divisions on the main scale. Therefore, the length of the auxiliary scale is
9 mm. When the vernier is closed and properly zeroed (see Figure 4), the
first mark (zero) on the main scale is aligned with the first mark on the
auxiliary scale. The last mark on the auxiliary scale will then coincide with
the 9-mm mark on the main scale.
Figure 4. With the jaws closed, this
is what a properly zeroed vernier
caliper should look like.