Name: _________________________________________________________________________ How Big Is It? Examining Physical PRoperties PURPOSE: “How big is it?” is a question scientists must answer. How do we measure the same item? How do we compare measurements? Can math help us? What do we use if the item doesn’t fit geometry equations? In this lab, you will measure height, weight (not mass) and volume. PROCEDURES: Select 5 objects, a cut-out shape of wood, a rock a spherical marble and an item of your choice. HYPOTHESIS: If an object has a ______________________________ kind of shape, then it will _______________________________. Idea: “If an object has a geometric kind of shape, then it will occupy more volume.” EXPERIMENT: Collect size data on four objects and complete the data tables. 1) How tall is it? Can we use math to calculate its volume? Length Width Height Wood Cube Wood Triangle Spherical Marble Rock Your Choice Item Calculate Volume (* ½) 2) What is its mass?? We are recording mass, not weight (gravity creates weight which is a force). Mass – What is the SI Unit? Wood Cube Wood Triangle Spherical Marble Rock Your Choice Item 3) If an object’s volume cannot be measured, what should we do? This is an “engineering application”. Write your own idea here: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Shannon Mower, THS, 2019 Graph paper image source: https://www.xmple.com/wallpaper/white-grid-graph-paper-black--c2-f8f8ff-000000-l2-5100-a-0-f-20-image/ Clipart Image Source: https://clipartimage.com/clipart/16306-laboratory-apparatus-clipart-black-and-white.html 4) Idea: To measure the volume of something with a weird shape, use the “volume displacement method”. To do this, fill a graduated cylinder (or beaker) with a known quantity of water. Record this value. Place the object in the flask and see how high the water rises. Record this value. Subtract the two numbers to get the object’s volume. Use this procedure to measure the volume of a rock! a) Volume of water added to your beaker: ______________________________________________________________ b) Volume of water after adding the rock to your beaker: ______________________________________________ Subtract “b” from “a”. What is the volume of the rock? _________________________________________________ 5) Communicate your data: Scientists need to share information in a hurry. This is usually done using graphs or tables. Create one simple bar graph of the masses of the items measured. Shannon Mower, THS, 2019 Graph paper image source: https://www.xmple.com/wallpaper/white-grid-graph-paper-black--c2-f8f8ff-000000-l2-5100-a-0-f-20-image/ Clipart Image Source: https://clipartimage.com/clipart/16306-laboratory-apparatus-clipart-black-and-white.html
