Name_________________________________________
Date___________________
LAB #4: TRIPLE BEAM BALANCE SCALE ACTIVITY
A triple beam balance scale is used to measure the mass of an object. The scales contain three
(triple) weight bars. The farthest bar measures in increments of 10 grams. The middle bar
measures in increments of 100 grams and the bar in the front measures in increments of 1 gram.
The use of a scale with three bars for measuring allows the user to be as precise as possible
with any measurement.
How to use the scale:
1. Make sure that the measuring plate is clean of all foreign objects.
2. Make sure that all of the weights are at zero and that the scale is balance on zero.
3. Place the item to be weighted on the center of the weighting pan. You will notice that the
balancing bar is now above the zero.
4. Begin by carefully moving the middle weighing bar over to the 100 gram position. If the
balancing bars stays above the zero that means that the object weights more than 100
grams and you will have to move the weight over. If the balancing arm drops below the
zero that means that the object weighs less than 100 grams and you will have to move
the 1000 gram bar back to zero and start with the 10 gram increments.
Group Predictions
A. Put the following items in order from the lightest to the heaviest. You can lift them up to
get a sense of how heavy each one is. Write your answers in the table below.
12345-
Lightest
12345Heaviest
“D” cell battery
8 cm bolt
Colored magnetic ball
Large Metal Nut
Bag of Dried Beans (15)
Actual Weights
B. Weight each of the following items on the triple beam balance scale and record your
answers in the box below.
“D” Cell Battery
8 cm Bolt
Colored Magnetic Ball
Grams
Grams
Grams
Large Metal Nut
Bag of Dried Beans (15)
Grams
Grams
C. Look at your prediction table (A) and the actual weight table (B). Which one/s of your
predictions were correct?
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D. What surprised you about the results that you obtained?
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E. From your actual weights in section “B”, re-write each item from lightest to heaviest and
put it in the box below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F. Create a bar graph that shows you the actual weight of the five different items. List them
from lightest to heaviest. Don’t forget the title, key, labels and your name.