Lab 1: Density Block Lab

In the Density Block Lab,  the purpose is to calculate the mass of the block of material. This experiment consists of finding the mass of a cubic block  by multiplying the density and the calculated the volume. The lab concludes with comparing the experimental mass with the mass the instructor calculated. The experimental mass is compared with the actual mass to calculate the percent error.  Density is the amount of mass per unit of volume. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Volume is the quantity of three dimensional space taken up by an object. Significant figures is each of the digits of a number that are used to express it to the required degree of accuracy.

The equipment used in the lab are a ruler and a balance. The material needed for this lab was a cubic block of an unknown material.  First, the volume of the block was calculated by measuring the length, width, and height. Next, the mass was determined by multiplying the volume, 13.834 cubic cm, by the density, 1.47 g/cubic cm. After the experimental mass of 6.50 g was computed, the data was compared to the actual mass of 7.6 g. The percent error was 14%. The percent error needs to be 5%, so there needs to be another attempt with a different cubic block of material. In the second attempt, the volume of the second block of material is calculated and comes out to 14.88 cubic cm. The mass is determined by multiplying the volume by the density of 1.7 g/cubic cm. The experimental mass of 25.3g is compared to the actual mass of 26 g. The percent error is 2.6% which is under 5%.




This experiment accomplishes its purpose of determining the mass of the cubic blocks of materials. The first attempt did not fulfill this purpose because it was not under the 5% error margin. The second attempt achieved the purpose by being 2.3% off. This lab teaches how to find mass, density, and volume of a cubic block of material. In future labs, I would always remember to use the significant figures.

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