Experiment 3: Buoyancy
Introduction
Mass is described as the measure of the amount of matter contained in an object. On the other hand, weight is the measure of the force of gravity acting on the mass. Mass is measured in kilograms, while weight is measured in newtons. The density of an object is found by dividing the mass by the volume. Buoyancy is the upward force of a liquid which counters the weight of an immersed object. The theoretical buoyancy of an object can be calculated by using the formula B=V(1g/mL) and then converting the units to kilograms and multiplying the answer by the force of gravity which is 9.8 N/kg.
Description/Method
The idea of this experiment is to understand the relationship between mass, density, and buoyancy, …show more content…
The ruler that we used in this experiment had a range of 0-30 cm with a sensitivity of 0.05 cm. The ruler needs no calibration. Our other measuring device was the spring scale. The spring scale was used to measure the force of weight on each cylinder in newtons. The spring scale used in this experiment had a range of 0-2.5 newtons and a sensitivity of 0.025 newtons. To calibrate the spring scale, we first test to be sure it accurately reads “0” when nothing is being measured. Next, we tested it using a weight with a known mass of 200 grams to be sure it accurately read “200 g”, or, more precisely, “1.96 N”. Once the measuring devices were calibrated, we could proceed with the experiment. We started off my measuring the theoretical volume of each cylinder. This was done by measuring the radius of the base and the height of the cylinder in centimeters. With these measurements, we could then use the formula πr^2 to find the area of the base and the formula V=hAbase to find the volume. We did this for each of the three cylinders. Next, we experimentally measured the volume using the displacement method. This was done by measuring the initial volume in a beaker and then …show more content…
To do this, we had to use the percent error formula. The percent error is found by subtracting the experimental value from the theoretical value, dividing this by the theoretical value, and then multiplying this by 100. For the volume of the cylinders, our percent error was as follows: cylinder 1-2.50%, cylinder 2-9.99%, and cylinder 3-1.50%. For the buoyancy of the cylinders, the percent error was: cylinder 1-11.10%, cylinder 2-8.70%, and cylinder 3-0%.
Conclusion
The results of our experiment were satisfactory. Only one of the percent errors was slightly outside of the acceptable range. In the future, it would be preferable to repeat each measurement at least three times to get a more precise number. If we had more time in the laboratory to do the experiment, it would be more feasible to get a percent error closer to
Introduction
Mass is described as the measure of the amount of matter contained in an object. On the other hand, weight is the measure of the force of gravity acting on the mass. Mass is measured in kilograms, while weight is measured in newtons. The density of an object is found by dividing the mass by the volume. Buoyancy is the upward force of a liquid which counters the weight of an immersed object. The theoretical buoyancy of an object can be calculated by using the formula B=V(1g/mL) and then converting the units to kilograms and multiplying the answer by the force of gravity which is 9.8 N/kg.
Description/Method
The idea of this experiment is to understand the relationship between mass, density, and buoyancy, …show more content…
The ruler that we used in this experiment had a range of 0-30 cm with a sensitivity of 0.05 cm. The ruler needs no calibration. Our other measuring device was the spring scale. The spring scale was used to measure the force of weight on each cylinder in newtons. The spring scale used in this experiment had a range of 0-2.5 newtons and a sensitivity of 0.025 newtons. To calibrate the spring scale, we first test to be sure it accurately reads “0” when nothing is being measured. Next, we tested it using a weight with a known mass of 200 grams to be sure it accurately read “200 g”, or, more precisely, “1.96 N”. Once the measuring devices were calibrated, we could proceed with the experiment. We started off my measuring the theoretical volume of each cylinder. This was done by measuring the radius of the base and the height of the cylinder in centimeters. With these measurements, we could then use the formula πr^2 to find the area of the base and the formula V=hAbase to find the volume. We did this for each of the three cylinders. Next, we experimentally measured the volume using the displacement method. This was done by measuring the initial volume in a beaker and then …show more content…
To do this, we had to use the percent error formula. The percent error is found by subtracting the experimental value from the theoretical value, dividing this by the theoretical value, and then multiplying this by 100. For the volume of the cylinders, our percent error was as follows: cylinder 1-2.50%, cylinder 2-9.99%, and cylinder 3-1.50%. For the buoyancy of the cylinders, the percent error was: cylinder 1-11.10%, cylinder 2-8.70%, and cylinder 3-0%.
Conclusion
The results of our experiment were satisfactory. Only one of the percent errors was slightly outside of the acceptable range. In the future, it would be preferable to repeat each measurement at least three times to get a more precise number. If we had more time in the laboratory to do the experiment, it would be more feasible to get a percent error closer to