Lab 1: Density Block Lab

Lab 1

Density Block Lab

Shiva Senthil

7/17/17

Introduction

The purpose of this lab was to find the mass of blocks. The lab consisted of calculating the volume of a cuboid block and using its given density to calculate the mass. Important terms used are: density, volume, mass, and significant figures. Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, generally expressed in grams. Volume is the amount of space an object takes up, usually expressed in cm or mL. Density is a ratio of the mass to the volume of an object, expressed in g/cm³ or g/mL. Significant figures are the important digits used to keep the same precision throughout the calculations.

Procedure
The procedure of this lab began with obtaining a cuboid block of a certain density. Using a ruler, the dimensions of the block (length, width, and height) were measured. Since the ruler was marked with the tenths of each centimeter, there were three significant figures in each dimension's measurement. These dimensions were used to calculate the volume of the block. Then, the given density and the calculated volume were used to approximate the mass of the block. Then, this calculated mass was compared to the actual mass of the block, and the percent error was found . The process was repeated until the percent error was found to be less than 5%.

Data

Dimensions were multiplied together to find the volume of the block using this formula:

The length, width, and height were all measured to three significant figures (in this case hundredths of a centimeter).

This volume was multiplied by the density to calculate the mass of the block. This was achieved by                                                                        using the formula:

which is derived from the equation:

The density was given, so it was assumed that there were an infinite amount of significant figures. The measurements of length, width, and height of the block were measured to three significant figures. This means the volume was calculated to three significant figures as well. Furthermore, the mass was also calculated to three significant figures.

This calculated mass was compared to the actual mass, which was found with a balance. This formula was used to find that percent error:

The first attempt of this process resulted in a 9.47% error. The second resulted in an 8.57% error. The third resulted in a 7.24% error. The fourth and final attempt resulted in a 1.09% error, which was within the 5% error bound.

Conclusion:

The purpose of the lab was fulfilled as the mass of the blocks were measured. The use of various density formulas and the use of significant figures helped to achieve this. There were errors in the measurement of the blocks, as the measurements were not perfect and had an estimated digit. The importance of significant figures and the various density formulas were learned in this lab.