Integrated Science- Mrs. Romano
Lab #3- Conductivity of Salt solutions
Name/section __________________
September
, 2009
Question for investigation: How are the conductivity of a solution and a solution’s salinity related?
Background:
Salinity:
Conductivity:
Distilled water:
PROCEDURE:
1) Obtain a conductivity meter. Set the range to 0-20,000uS. Set-up the probe and open the correct computer experiment
file.
2) Open the EXCEL file “Conductivity vs. Salinity” on the P-drive. Keep VERNIER and EXCEL open throughout
this lab.
3) Obtain a 250mL beaker. Fill it ¾ full with DISTILLED WATER.
4) Obtain a test bottle (0-5ppt). Place the conductivity probe into the bottle so that the bottom of the probe reaches halfway
through the solution. Gently swirl the probe in the water. When the conductivity reading has stabilized, record the
value in your EXCEL table.
5) Rinse the probe by dipping it in distilled water. Cap the test bottle & return it to its central location.
6) Repeat steps 4-5 for each salinity. Please keep the bottles in order throughout the lab.
7) After testing each solution, rinse the probe, gently dry it with a paper towel, and place it in its box.
Hypotheses:
Our question for this study was “How is the salinity of water related to its conductivity?”.
Write a testable, specific hypothesis that attempts to answer this question.
Data:
1) Save your EXCEL TABLE AND GRAPH on your personal H-drive folder.
2) After your teacher has checked your graph, print a copy for each group member (1 page each); provide this graph
with your completed lab report.
3) Allow your teacher to borrow your data table to compile all class data.
Analysis & Conclusions:
1) In this experiment, what was your independent variable? Explain your choice:
2) In this experiment, what was your dependent variable? Explain your choice:
3) Judging from your graph, does there appear to be any significant relationship between your
independent variable and dependent variable?
4) Write a short conclusion below which explains whether your hypothesis appears to be correct or not.
Refer to your data in this statement. Include a short explanation of what this experiment has
taught us about the question we originally were studying. This should be a deduction:
5) How does the overall class data compare to your group’s personal data?