Lab 1A: Density Block Lab

Lab 1A: Density Block Lab

Introduction: The purpose of the density block lab was to derive the value of the mass, the amount of matter in something, of a plastic block using only the density, the measure of the compactness of something.  and the volume, the amount of space a substance occupies, of the block. The provided materials were a ruler, a plastic block, and a sticker on the plastic block with the density written on it. We derived the volume by measuring the length, height, and width of the block, and then we multiplied it by the density to calculate the experimental mass.

Procedure: My lab partner and I were provided a ruler to measure the dimensions of the block, the density of the block, and the block itself. First we measured the dimensions of the block and found the mass. Then we multiplied the volume with the given density to find the mass. The last step was to measure the actual mass of the block with a scale and compare the two measurements. The first three trials our calculated mass was not close to the actual mass with our calculated mass ranging from eight to twenty percent. Our fourth and final trial gave us a more accurate answer that was only .29% off of the actual mass.

Data: Our final result from the Density Block Lab was only .29% difference from the actual mass and was very accurate.

Conclusion: Our lab team fulfilled the purpose of the lab by determining the mass of the plastic block using its density and volume. There were no significant problems or errors that occurred during the lab assignment other than possibly error regarding the readings of the ruler, however this would only influence the uncertain number in the significant figure by a minuscule amount. From the lab our team learned the importance of data recording and taking precise measurements while doing a lab assignment. The accuracy of the results depend on the accuracy of the measurements. For future investigations it would be advantageous to use a ruler that had even more precise measurements. The rulers that we were given measured to the tenths place, but a ruler that measured to the hundredths place would yield more accurate answers.