General Physics Laboratory Report

EXPERIMENT

DETERMINING THE DENSITY OF SOLIDS

Class: CC10 / Group: …… Team: 9 Lecturer’s comment

Full name:
1) Nguyễn Vũ Thành An - 2052394
2) Trần Đặng Gia Huy - 2152389
3) Nguyễn Thái Nhựt - 2153208
4) Đặng Hưng Đăng Khoa - 2052

I. Aims/Purposes:
To determine the density of solids

II. Method, Equipment and Procedure:

Measuring the size and determining the volume of solid sample with
symmetrical shape
II.1. Equipment:
1 vernier caliper 0 ÷ 150mm with precision 0,02mm;
3 measuring samples (copper ring, steel balls).

II.2. Procedure
1) Measuring the size of the copper ring by vernier caliper to determine the volume
a. Vernier caliper
The meter scale enables us to measure the length to the nearest millimeter only.
Engineers and scientists need to measure much smaller distances accurately. For this a
special type of scale called Vernier scale is used.
The Vernier scale consists of a main scale graduated in centimeters and millimeters. On
the Vernier scale 0.9 cm is divided into ten equal parts.
The least count or the smallest reading which you can get with the instrument can be
calculated as under:
Least count = one main scale (MS) division - one vernier scale (VS) division.
= 1 mm - 0.09 mm
= 0.1 mm
= 0.01 cm
The least count of the vernier = (Value of the smallest division on MS) / (Total number of
division on VS)
= 1mm/10 = 0.1cm/10
= 0.01 cm
 The Vernier caliper consists of a main scale fitted with a jaw at one end. Another jaw,
containing the vernier scale, moves over the main scale. When the two jaws are in
contact, the zero of the main scale and the zero of the vernier scale should coincide. If
both the zeros do not coincide, there will be a positive or negative zero error. After
calculating the least count place the object between the two jaws. Record the position of
zero of the vernier scale on the main scale.
You will notice that one of the vernier scale divisions coincides with one of the main
scale divisions.
Reading of the instrument
= MS div + (coinciding VS div x L.C.)
= 3.2 + (3 x 0.01)
= 3.2 + 0.03
= 3.23 cm
To measure the inner and outer diameter of a hollow cylinder or ring, inner and outer
calipers are used.
b. Measuring the size of the copper ring and determining the volume
The volume of the ring can be calculated according to the following formula:

With D: outer radius, d: inner radius and h: height of the ring. Perform 3 times
measurement of D, d, h at different positions. Note the measured values in Tab.1 to
determine the volume of the ring.

2) Determining the volume of a steel ball

Using vernier calipers performs 3 times measurement of the ball radius D at different
positions. Note the measured values in Tab.3 to determine the volume of the steel ball
according to the following formula:

V=

Measuring the mass using technical balance

I. Equipment
1 technical balance 0 ÷ 200g with precision 0,02g;
1 weight box 0 ÷ 200g;
3 measuring samples (copper ring, steel balls).

II.2. Procedure
A. Basic theory
*Mass
Mass is a property of a physical body. It can be generalized as the amount of matter in an
object. It is the measure of an object's resistance to acceleration (a change in its state of
motion) when a net force is applied. It also determines the strength of its mutual
gravitational attraction to other bodies. The basic SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg).
 The mass of an object determines its acceleration in the presence of an applied force. The
mass quantitatively describes the inertia. According to Newton's second law of motion, if

a body of fixed mass m is subjected to a single force F, its acceleration is given by .A

body's mass also determines the degree to which it generates or is affected by a
gravitational field. If a first body of mass m A is placed at a distance r (center of mass to
center of mass) from a second body of mass m B, each body is subject to an attractive

force , where G is the universal gravitational constant. This is referred to as

gravitational mass. Repeated experiments since the 17th century have demonstrated that
inertial and gravitational mass are identical and since 1915, this observation has been
entailed a priori by Einstein in the equivalence principle of general relativity. Therefore,
the mass can be measured by the gravitational force (the weight) exerted on an object in a
known gravitational field such as the Earth.

*Measurement of Mass
Mass of an object can be determined by comparing the mass of it with a standard mass.
For this we can use a lever balance or a common balance.

*Technical Balance
This balance consists of a beam and two scale pans (shown in figure below), the beam
being balanced at its mid-point on a knife-edge. The scale pans also hang on knife edges
and rest on the base board. When the balance is not in use the beam rests on the beam
support.

*Operation of technical balance

Use the leveling screws, attached beneath the base board to make sure that the beam is
horizontal. It can be verified with the help of the plumb- line provided shown in the
diagram.
Use the arrestment knob to raise the beam and the adjusting screw at the two ends of the
beam, to bring the pointer to the middle or zero mark on the scale.
Lower the beam using the arrestment knob again.
Place the body to be weighed on the left scale pan and put weights on the right hand scale
pan to balance the beam (when the pointer is at zero).

B. Measuring the mass of an object

Perform 2 times measurement of the mass of the ring and the ball. Note the measured
values in Tab. 4 and complete the results in corresponding formulas.

III. Equations:
The copper ring volume
The total errors of measurement of the outer radius D, the inner radius d and the height h:
∆ D=∆ D sys+ ∆ D
∆ d=∆ d sys+ ∆ d
 ∆ h=∆ hsys +∆ h
The total errors of measurement of the outer radius D, the inner radius d and the height h:

π 2 2
V = ( D −d ) h
4

The result of the ring volume measurement:

The volume of steel ball

∆ d=∆ d sys+ ∆ d
and

The result of the steel ball volume measurement:

The mass of the sample

Total errors:
∆ m=∆ msys + ∆ m
The mass density of symmetrical object

IV. Experimental Data:

Table 1 (for copper ring): Accuracy of Caliper: 0.02 (mm)

Experime D Δ d Δ h Δ
nt (10-3 D (10 -3
d (10-3 h
m) (10-3 m) (10-3 m) (10-3
m) m) m)
1 34.92 0.333 25.08 0.007 6.78 0.033
2 34.94 0.353 25.06 0.027 6.74 0.007
3 33.90 0.687 25.12 0.033 6.72 0.027
Mean 34.587 0.458 25.087 0.022 6.747 0.022

Table 2 (for copper ring): Accuracy of counter balance: 0.02 (g)

 Experiment m (10-3 kg) Δm(10-3 kg)

1 25.96 0.0007

2 25.98 0.013

3 25.96 0.007

Me 25.967 0.009
an

Table 3 (for steel ball): Accuracy of Caliper: 0.02 (mm)

Accuracy of counter balance: 0.02(g)
Experime d Δ m Δm
nt (10 -3
d (10 -3
(10-3 kg)
m) (10-3 kg)
m)
1 7.98 0.007 2.08 0.007
2 7.98 0.007 2.08 0.007
3 8.00 0.013 2.06 0.013
Mean 7.987 0.009 2.073 0.009

V. Calculations:
4.1 Calculating the total absolute errors of the measurement of outside diameter D, inside
diameter d and height h
For copper ring:
∆ D=∆ D sys+ ∆ D=0.02+ 0.458=0.478 ( 10−3 m )

∆ d=∆ d sys+ ∆ d=0.02+ 0.022=0.042 ( 10−3 m )

∆ h=∆ hsys +∆ h=0.02+0.022=0.042 ( 10−3 m )

For steel ball: ∆ d=∆ d sys+ ∆ d=0.02+ 0.009=0.029 ( 10−3 m)

4.2 Calculating the total absolute errors of the measurement of mass m
For copper ring: ∆ m=∆ msys + ∆ m=0.02+0.009=0.029 ( 10−3 m )
For steel ball: ∆ m=∆ msys + ∆ m=0.02+0.009=0.029 ( 10−3 m )
4.3 Calculating the volume of solids
π=3.14 and ∆ π =0.005
For copper ring:
π 2 2 3.14 3
V = ( D −d ) h= (m )
4 4
V =¿
For steel ball:

=>

4.4 Calculating the density of solids

For copper ring:

=>

For steel ball:

=>

VI. Conclusions:

Density of copper ring

Density of steel ball