Density of Aluminum and the Thickness of A thin Aluminum Sheet
ircasodle > 08-16-2018, 01:27 AM
Density is a property of a substance thus it can be used to identify a particular substance (Jensen 45). Density is a measure of how tightly packed particles are in matter by using the ration of mass to volume; mass and volume are related direct proportion (Mahan 20, Kalpakjian and scmid 13). Density is determined using the formula:
Where M is the mass while V is the volume
In this experiment, the masses and volumes of 3 samples of aluminum will be determined and be used to determine the density of aluminum. The density of the aluminum will be used to determine the thickness of the aluminum foil in the second part of the experiment.
Materials
Scale/balance
3 aluminum samples
25ml graduated cylinder
Caliper
Weighing boats
Procedure
3 aluminum samples were obtained: 1 aluminum shot and 2 aluminum bars
The scale was zeroed
The sample was placed on the weighing scale and the mass was recorded
The volume of the bar was determined using the formula Length (L)*Width (W)*Height (H) measured using a caliper
The volume of the shot was determine using the water displacement method
The volume of the second bar was determined using the L*W*H method
The value of the density of the 3 samples was calculated using the formula:
The value of the densities was then averaged.
Data and Observations
Volume of the bars
Sample
Length L (cm)
Width W (cm)
Height H (cm)
Volume (cm3)
(L*W*H)
1
76.2
6.2
25.3
19.95275
2
5
1.2
2.5
15.00000
Volume of the Aluminum shot
67mL – 50mL = 17mL
Sample
Mass (g)
Volume (V)
Density (g/cm3)
Aluminum bar 1
32.779
11.95275
2.74238
Aluminum bar 2
44.676
15.00000
2.97840
Aluminum shot
46.140
17.00000
2.71411
Rounded off average density = 2.8 g/cm3
Part II
Background
In science we use both large and small numbers at the same time. The laboratory tools available are not suitable for measuring the thickness of an aluminum foil. However, the volume of a regular object can be calculated using the formula:
Taking the height (h) to be the thickness (T) of the foil, therefore:
Using the density formula we get the volume formula
The aluminum foil can be measured to get its mass and used the density obtained from part I.
Materials
Balance, centimeter ruler, 4 sheets of aluminum foil, data table and a calculator
Procedure
A data table was made to include all the necessary data
A large aluminum foil was cut into 4 pieces with 900 edges
The length and width of each piece was measured and recorded
The mass of each piece was measured and recorded
Calculations were made