PurposeThe purpose of this lab activity is to practice:
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Materialsmeter stick
Vernier Caliper Wood Block metric ruler micrometer cylinder |
Procedure
For this lab, there are no independent variables because nothing is being manipulated. The only variables in this lab will be the choice of tool and the unit of metric measurement.
- Determine the volume of a block of wood.
- Measure height, length, and width of the block using the Vernier Caliper.
Length - 76.1 mm
Width - 74.1 mm
Height - 11.6 mm
- Multiply (length x width x height)
76.1 x 74.1 x 11.6 = 65412.5mm³ or 6.54 x 10³ mm³
2. Find the volume of a cylinder.
- Measure radius and height of cylinder using the Vernier Caliper and metric ruler respectively
Diameter - 10.1 mm ---> Radius - 5.05mm
Height - 100.65 mm
- Multiply πr²h
3.14 x 5.05² x 100.65 = 8.06 x 10³ mm³
3. Find the thickness of a page of paper in your text book.
- Measure thickness using micrometer
Thickness = .04 mm
4. Find the volume of the room
-Measure height, length, and width of the room using a meter stick
Length - 9.35355 m
Width - 7.6835 m
Height - 2.7432 m
- Multiply (length x width x height)
9.3535 x 7.6835 x 2.7432 = 1.9715 x 10² m³
Conclusion
The purpose of the lab was to improve and assure a strong understanding of metric measurements and how to identify the appropriate tool for measurement. The tools used in this lab included the metric ruler, meter stick, micrometer, and Vernier Caliper. Each instrument has a specific purpose for making measurements. For example, the micrometer was the appropriate tool to measure the thickness of a piece of paper; however, this method would have been impractical for measuring the dimensions of the room (which was done with a meter stick). With all measurements, an additional significant figure was estimated, leading to a slight margin of error due to human error.