DAY 1
CHEMISTRY SUMMER SCIENCE INSTITUTE
MEASUREMENT ACTIVITIES
Work with a partner while performing these activities. The necessary materials are on a front lab table.
I. List your height in inches (from memory) ______in.
List your partner’s height in inches ______in.
Use a piece of string to measure your heights.
Partner’s height in strings ______strings
Your height in strings ______strings
WITHOUT MEASURING THE STRING WITH ANY MEASURING DEVICE answer the following.
How long is the string? ______inches
How did you get that answer?
Do you think we would use “string” as a unit of measurement? Why or why not?
If you lying down would you have the same height?
How would you explain to someone what height is?
How would you explain to someone what measurement is?
II. Measure each other’s height with a meter stick. Ignore all markings on the stick. Use decimals for parts of meters.
Partner A ______m Partner B ______m
About how many feet are in a meter?
How did you get that answer?
III. Measure the thickness of your CSSI binder spine with the devices listed below. (This time consider all the markings on the devices.)
a) Metric ruler ______cm
b) Piece of string ______strings
c) Meter stick ______m
d) Vernier caliper ______mm (ask for help if unfamiliar with calipers)
Examine the measuring devices to help you answer the following:
How many centimeters (cm) are in a meter (m)? ______cm/m
How many millimeters (mm) are in a meter (m)? ______mm/m
How many millimeters are in a centimeter? ______mm/cm
What does the prefix “centi” mean? ______
What does the prefix “milli” mean? ______
How would you explain to someone what thickness is?
______
IV. Fill a small beaker approximately ¼ of the way up with tap water. Pour this water into the graduated cylinder provided.
In the space to the right, make an exact
drawing of what you see. Record the
markings on the cylinder above and below
the level of the water. (Hint: putting a
white piece of paper behind the cylinder
makes the measurement easier to read.
Also, readings must be made at eye level.
Keep the cylinder on a flat surface as you
make the reading.)
How much water is in the cylinder? ______mL
Fill the beaker with water and pour all of this water into the volumetric flask.
Take a measurement of how much water is
in the flask. Draw a picture of what you see. ______L
Fill the volumetric flask with tap water up to its mark. This is exactly one liter (L) of water. Pour this water into the graduate cylinder to determine how many milliliters are in a liter.
______mL/L
How would you explain to someone what volume means?
Does the volume of the water change when it is poured from the graduated cylinder to the volumetric flask? Does anything change?
V. Use a funnel to fill a buret to its zero mark with tap water. Turn the stopcock and release some water into a beaker, so that the tip of the buret is filled with water. Then add some additional water through the top the buret until the level of the water is again at the zero mark. Remember you must read the device at eye level.
Turn the stopcock and release water into a graduated cylinder until the level of the water in the buret reaches the 20.00 mL mark.
How much water did you release from the buret? ______mL
Release all the water remaining in the buret into a large empty graduated cylinder.
Record the volume of water in the cylinder.
______mL
What is the volume of water in the tip (uncalibrated part) of the buret?
______mL
How did you get that answer?
VI. There is a large and small box on the lab table. Find the mass of the small box using the balance. (Ask for help if you are unfamiliar with its operation.) Find the mass of larger box using the platform balance.
Small box (digital balance) ______g
Larger box (platform) ______g
Add these masses together ______g
Are you sure about the number of decimal places in your answer? Why or why not?
VII. Mass a ½ lb package of popcorn kernels on the platform balance.
Mass of ½ lb kernels ______g
How many grams are in one pound ______g/lb
What is the mass in grams of a 150 lb person? ______g
Show how you got your answer.
Count out 50 kernels of popcorn. Mass them using a massing boat.
Mass of boat ______g
Mass of boat and corn ______g
Mass of 50 kernels ______g
How many kernels are in the original ½ lb bag? ______kernels
How did you get that answer?
What is the mass of one kernel of popcorn? (Do not put it on the scale.) Explain how you got that answer. ______g
If we sent this bag of popcorn into outer space what would happen to its weight? What would happen to its mass?
What is the difference between mass and weight?
Are there any questions you would now like to ask?
Can you summarize some new idea you now have about measuring things?
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