Name
Per
Density and Percent Error Lab
Purpose: Density is the amount of mass in a given volume. It can be found by
finding the mass of an object and dividing it by its volume. In this lab, the units
for mass should be in grams and the units for volume should be in cubic
centimeters. Using these units will give you a density in g/cm3 which is the same
as g/mL. The purpose of this lab is to find the mass and volume for different
materials and identify the materials’ density. The measured density will be
compared to the material’s accepted density and a percent error will be found.
Procedure:
1) Obtain a density kit and identify the aluminum, copper, iron, and brass
cubes.
2) Using a ruler, measure the three dimensions of the aluminum cube. Make
sure to measure to the nearest hundredth of a centimeter. Record your data.
3) Find the volume of the aluminum cube using the L x W x H formula and
record your data using the correct number of significant digits.
4) Using the electronic balances, record the mass of the aluminum cube. The
mass should have the same number of significant digits as displayed on the
balance.
5) Repeat steps 2-4 for the copper, iron, and brass cubes.
6) Finally, find the percent error of you measurements based on the accepted
values given in the data section of the lab.
Data:
Aluminum Cube
L=___________ W=_____________ H=_______________
Calculation of volume:
Volume of cube ____________
Mass of cube__________
Calculation of density:
Density of cube____________
Copper Cube
L=___________ W=_____________ H=_______________
Calculation of volume:
Volume of cube ____________
Mass of cube__________
Calculation of density:
Density of cube____________
Iron Cube
L=___________ W=_____________ H=_______________
Calculation of volume:
Volume of cube ____________
Mass of cube__________
Calculation of density:
Density of cube____________
Brass Cube
L=___________ W=_____________ H=_______________
Calculation of volume:
Volume of cube ____________
Mass of cube__________
Calculation of density:
Density of cube____________
The accepted densities for the metals are as follows:
Aluminum= 2.70 g/cm3 Copper= 8.96 g/cm3 Iron= 7.87 g/cm3 Brass=8.40 g/cm3
Percent Error calculation for density of aluminum:
Percent Error__________
Percent Error calculation for density of copper:
Percent Error__________
Percent Error calculation for density of iron:
Percent Error__________
Percent Error calculation for density of brass:
Percent Error__________