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EXPERIMENT 1
ANALYSIS OF
VOLUME
AND DENSITY OF A SOLID
MATERIAL
AND
ARCHIMEDES PRINCIPLE
Purpose : 1.)The goal of this laboratory is to measure the mass and the dimensions of solids and to
determine their volume and density.
2.)Using Archimedes Principle and determine the volume and density of irregular shaped
solid materials.
Theory:
While doing a basic physics experiment, the researcher mainly focuses on a chosen problem and
tries to figure out the basic physical background and offers realistic methods to solve the general
concept. The experiment will help researcher to visualize the problem and researcher will determine
first of all the most suitable way to do the experiment and then will make a schedule to
himself/herself that he/she will follow as doing the research. In this way researcher will be able to
check the results in every step and be able to figure out if the chosen method is realible and
practical or not.
Physics experiments start with the basic concepts and one of the main topic in fresman physics
laboratory
is
“the
matter”.
Matter is
generally
considered
to
be
anything
that
has mass and volume. The volume is determined by the space in three dimensions that it occupies.
The mass is determined by its rest mass (or invariant mass), which is measured by the acceleration a
body has when a force is applied. The greater the mass, the slower the acceleration for the same
force. Matter is thus a general term for the substance of which all observable physical objects
consist.
Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles that have mass, but this definition confuses
mass and matter, which are not the same. Different fields use the term in different and sometimes
incompatible ways; there is no single agreed scientific meaning of the word "matter," even though
the term "mass" is better-defined.
The mass density or density of a material is its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used
for density is ρ (the lower case Greek letter rho). Mathematically, density is defined as mass divided
r=
by volume:
m
v where ρ is the density, m is the mass, and V is the volume. The volume of any
solid which has a simple geometric form may be determined from its dimensions; which, if the
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body is small, are most conveniently measured by a vernier caliper and a micrometer screw gauge.
The mass; however is found by the use of the laboratory triple balance.
When you place an object in a fluid it will do one of those two things; it will float or sink. Perhaps
when you were in high school you learned that the typical way in which you can tell what the
object will do is by knowing its density and how it compares to the fluid it is in. If the density of
the object is less than the density of the fluid it is in, then it will float. If the density of the object is
more than the density of the fluid it is in, then it will sink. This is all well and good but it doesn’t
really get to the heart of the matter. This lab will hopefully give you a better feel for why objects
float or sink.
Archimedes Principle :Any object that is either partially or completely submerged in a fluid will
always feel a buoyant force acting on it. A buoyant force always acts in a direction opposite to that
of gravity. It can be calculated by using Archimedes Principle which states that an object will be
buoyed upwards by a force that is equal to the weight of the fluid that the object displaces. We also
know that W = mg so we can alter the equation as below
FB = Wdis
FB = mdis g
FB :Buoyant force(in Newtons, N)
Wdis :the weight of the displaced fluid (in Newtons, N)
mdis :the mass of the displaced fluid (in kilograms, kg)
g : the gravitational acceleration (9.8 m/s2)
Apparatus:
1.)Metal cylinders in different radius
2.)Vernier
3.)Ruler
4.)Calculator
5.)Newtonmeter or dynamometer
6.)irregular shaped solids
7.) graduated cylinder
8.)Water
9.)Glass Beaker
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EXPERIMENTAL SETUP:
A.)Analysis of volume and density of regular shaped solids:
1.)First of all take three or four cylinder shaped bulk metals. We need to figure out these unknown
metal’s densities .
2.)Use your vernier and ruler for analysis and measure these cylinders height and diameter one by
one; firstly by vernier and then ruler. Write your measurement results in below table.
3.)Calculate the radius of all cylinders.
4.)Then use a Newtonmeter and measure the bulk metal’s weight one by one.
5.)Calculate the cylinders volume seperately and note the table.
V = area(p r 2 ).height (h)
V [cm3 ] = area[cm2 ].height[cm]
6.)Use the volume and mass of the cylinder and calculate the density of it.
d [ gr / cm3 ] =
m[ gr ]
v[cm3 ]
n R:diameter(cm) r:Radius(cm)
H:height(cm) V:volume(cm3) M:mass(gr) Density
(g/cm3)
vernier
1
2
3
4
Average Density:
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6
ruler
1
2
3
4
Average Density:
B.)Analysis of volume and density of irregular shaped solids:
Now we need to figure out the volume of irregular shaped solids for instance a piece of rock .
1.)Take two piece of rock and then lift the heaviest of the two types of blocks and try to guess the
mass in kilograms of each and their density ratio. Note your estimates in your table below.
2.)Measure the mass of the two types of blocks using the mass balance (note your measurements.)
3.) Use a ruler to measure the length, height, and width of the block. To what accuracy can you
measure the dimensions? Now use the calipers to measure the dimensions. Measure at three
locations and note down the readings and the average. Why is this a good idea to get the average?
Calculate the corresponding volumes and the average.
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4.) Find the slope of the line. If you plotted mass on the vertical axis and volume on the horizontal
axis, then the slope is equal to the density. Compare the density you found for the
metallic block set with the densities of common substances. Can you identify the substance?
How does the density ratio compare to your initial estimate?
5.) Completely fill the glass beaker with water. Tie a string around the rock and gently immerse into
the water in the jar. The excess water will spill over. Now remove the rock from the jar taking care
that no excess water is spilled, and all the water that drips from the rock falls back into the glass jar.
Using the graduated cylinder fill back the water that was lost in the glass jar. The volume of water
you poured using the measuring cylinder is the volume of the rock. (Note: 1 ml = 1 cm)
Weight of the rock in air
ma
Weight of the rock in water
mw
Weight loss
∆m= ma- mw
Volume of overfloating water
Vwater
Weight of overfloating water
mwater=1. Vwater
6.)Calculate the density of the rock and compare it with the density values table.
Error Calculation:
1.) Compare your experimental value of metal’s density to the accepted value and record the
percent error.
2.) Plot a graph of M vs. V for the rock. Record the value of the slope and then calculate the density
of the rock by using the slope.
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EXPERIMENT 2
SUMMING VECTOR QUANTITIES USING PARALELLOGRAM METHOD
Purpose : Summing the vector quantities using the parallelogram method
Apparatus:
Different masses between 1-1000 grams
A flat wood,
Two pulleys,
A few millimetric sheets.
Prior information:
Some quantities can be expressed in numbers, but there are some quantities that numbers are
not sufficient to express them. In some cases, addition to numbers, the directions of the
quantities should be given. Therefore, physical quantities are divided in two: scalar and vector
quantities.
Scalar Quantities:
There is no direction in the question for physical quantities such as mass, energy, temperature,
work, electric charge, time, volume…. We would have enough information when their
numerical values and units are given. These quantities are called scalar quantities.
Vector Quantities:
Some quantities such as velocity, force, acceleration, displacement are directional quantities.
The quantities of this type cannot be expressed by just their numerical values and units. The
quantities that are expressed by their magnitudes, starting points and directions are called
vector quantities.
When we say “a train goes with a speed of 30 km/hour”, it is said that the event is not
expressed clearly. A question then arises: to which direction? For example, if we say “a train
goes with a speed of 30 km/hour to north” the event would be expressed clearly.
Vector representation:
Ending
point
Starting
point
0
‫ܨ‬Ԧ 1
Magnitude
A