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Lab 3 Measurement

In this lab, you will practice fundamental experimental and data analysis skills in physics. By observing experimental procedures in a lab video and analyzing provided datasets, you will learn how to record measurements accurately, apply mathematical formulas, and analyze experimental data effectively.

Investigation 1 Density of Solid Materials

1. Measurement of Weight and Size:

Watch the lab video and record the measurements in Table 1 and Table 2. Do not forget to include the units. (3 points per measurement: 2 points for the value, 1 point for the unit)

Table 1 Cylinder Weight measurement (12 points)

Brass cylinder	Weight
#1
#2
#3
#4

Table 2 Cylinder Size Measurement (24 points)

Brass cylinder	Diameter (D)	Length (L)
#1
#2
#3
#4

2. Volume Calculation: The volume of a cylinder is:

Using the data in Table 2, calculate the volume of each cylinder. Write down you results in Table 3, including the units.

Table 3 Cylinder Volume (12 points)

Brass cylinder	Volume
#1
#2
#3
#4

3. Volume Measurement:

Continue watching the video and record the volume of water before and after adding cylinder #2, including the units. (6 points)

Table 4 Cylinder Volume

Brass cylinder	Volume of water before	Volume of water after
#2

What is the volume of cylinder #2 based on water displacement? ________________ (3 points)

Is this volume the same as your calculated volume in Table 3? ___________________ (3 points)

4. Density Calculation:

The density of a material is:

Calculate the density of each cylinder using the measured mass and calculated volume and write down your results in Table 5, including the units.

Table 5 Cylinder Density (12 points)

Brass cylinder	Density
#1
#2
#3
#4

Compare densities of all cylinders. Are they similar? (3 points)

Investigation 2 Measurement of the Radiation Background Statistical Variation

1. Calculate the Average (Mean) 

Formula:

Steps:

1. Add all the measurements together to get the sum: ().

2. Read the total number of measurement ( n).

3. Divide the sum by the number of measurements to get the mean.

Results: Write your result here, including the equation with your numbers substituted. (5 points)

2. Calculate Statistical Variation Variance measures how much the data points spread from the mean. A higher variance means the data are more spread out.

Formulas:

· Sample Variance ():

· Standard Deviation (square root of variance):

Steps:

(1) Subtract the mean from each data point to find the deviation:

(2) Square each deviation:

(3) Sum all the squared deviations:

(4) Divide by to get the variance.

(5) Take the square root of the variance to get the standard deviation.

Results: Write your variance and standard deviation here, showing calculations. (15 points)

3. Final Result of Measurement

Express your measurement with its uncertainty using the mean ± standard deviation format:

Your result: ___________________(5 points)