Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Name:
Using a Triple Beam Balance
Class/Period: Science
Date: September 3, 2014
Essential Question: How
do you read a triple beam balance to find mass
of various objects?
Questions:
What is matter?
Does the triple
beam balance
measure mass or
weight?
Why should the
riders not sit
between the
grooves?
Which parts of the
TBB show that
it is balanced
correctly?
How do you use
the triple beam
balance to
measure mass?
Notes:
Matter is
• All the solids, liquids, and gases that make up an object.
• All the “stuff” in the world
Mass is
• a measure of how much Matter or “stuff” is in an object.
• Mass is NOT the same as weight! Weight is a force.
Triple Beam Balances
• We measure mass using a triple beam balance.
• Unit is grams.
• Beams have grooves for riders to sit in at each labeled mass.
Rider should never sit between grooves!
• Label the diagram below: using the words measurement tray,
rider beam, rider, pointer, zero mark and adjustment knob
Steps to use a Triple Beam Balance (tbb)
1. Move all riders to far left groove.
2. Pointer should be at “Zero.” If not, turn the adjustment knob.
3. Place object on tray.
4. Start with the largest rider. Slide rider to the right into each
groove until pointer hits bottom of the marker, then slide the rider
back one groove.
5. Do the same for the next largest rider, then finally the smallest
until pointer points to “zero.”
6. Add the mass shown on each beam to get the total mass of the
object.
Questions:
Notes:
Object
Example
Summary: To
Hundreds
Tens
700
20
Ones
2.9
measure mass with a triple beam balance you need to
When the pointer points to zero, each beam needs to be
Total
722.9 g
Cx
d