First Exam Resources: Lab Calculations
1. Aluminum foil lab data—Al pellet density, 2.69 g/cm3; Al foil mass, (0.63 g) and
dimensions (11.9 cm by 12.1 cm). What would be the thickness of the foil in cm?
We used two equations for this lab, the volume equation and the density equation:
Volume equation: Volume (V) = Length (L) X Width (W) X Height (H).
NOTE—Height is the SAME as thickness for this problem.
Density equation: Density (D) = Mass (M) / Volume (V).
The basic mathematical strategy for this lab is to change the density equation to solve
for volume (V) and then place the calculated volume into the volume equation and solve
for height (H).
Example with this data set:
Change the density equation to solve for volume: Volume = 0.63 g/ 2.69 g/ cm3
= 0.23 cm3.
Add calculated (volume) measured (length and width) values into the volume
equation and solve for height (thickness): 0.23 cm3 = 11.9 cm X 12.1 cm X
Height cm (the unknown)
Height (cm) = 0.23 cm3/ 144 cm2.
Height (cm) = 0.0016 cm. The thickness of the aluminum foil, based on this lab
data is 0.0016 cm.
2. Olive oil demonstration data: 40.4 cm, 50.9 cm, 59.7 cm diameter measurements;
0.00050 cm3 olive oil volume; 17 carbon atoms in an olive oil molecule. Show ALL
your work for the following calculated values:
The basic mathematical strategy for this lab experience was to use the area of a
cylinder to determine the height of first an olive oil drop and then a single carbon
atom. The area of a cylinder is pi X radius2 X height.

Radius2: 635.
Strategy: Calculate the average diameter of the olive oil and then divide by 2
for radius. Square your radius calculation using a calculator.
Average diameter (cm) = 50.3 cm.
Radius (cm) = 50.3 cm / 2 = 25.3 cm.
Radius squared = 25.32 cm 635.

Olive oil molecule height: 2.51 X 10-7 cm.
Strategy: Use the volume of a cylinder to solve for height.
0.00050 cm3 = 3.14 X 635 X height (unknown).
Height cm = 0.00050 / 1994; this equals 0.00000025 cm.

Carbon diameter ‘height’ (diameter): 1.5 X 10-8 cm.
Strategy: Divide the total height of the olive oil by 17 carbon atoms to get an
estimate of the diameter of a single carbon atom.
2.51 X 10-7 cm / 17 = 1.5 X 10-8 cm.