Lab Manual

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter contained in an object. Mass is not the same as weight; weight is the measurement of gravity’s pull on an object. Mass is not affected by the planetary location of an object––your mass is the same if you are standing on Earth or if you are standing on Earth’s moon. However, you weigh about one-sixth as much on the Moon as you do on Earth.

Mass is measured using a balance that compares a known amount of matter to an

unknown amount of matter. You will use a triple beam balance, spring scale, and digital scale to determine the mass. The spring scale measures the force the object is exerting on the scale’s hook. You will also calculate the volume of each object to determine its density. Density is

defined as mass per unit volume.

A spring scale measures the force exerted on an object, in newtons (N). You will use it to measure the force of gravity on the weights. Hang an object on the hook of the scale and read the scale at the top of the platform to determine the number of newtons exerted by gravity on the object.

Safety Precautions

Be sure you are carrying the triple beam balance properly; place one hand under the stage base and the other hand under the balance pointer column.

Do not try to carry too many materials at once; make multiple trips if needed.

Do not force the adjustment knob on the triple beam balance.

For this activity you will need the following:

Triple beam balance

Spring scale

Digital scale

Solid objects: standard cube or rectangular weights that can be measured for density calculations

Ruler marked in centimeters (cm) For this activity, you will work in pairs.