Honors Chemistrydata Analysis Lab

Honors Chemistrydata Analysis Lab

HONORS CHEMISTRYDATA ANALYSIS LAB

USING A GRAPH TO FIND AREA (MEASUREMENT)

Modern technology makes it possible for paper and cardboard mills to produce products of extremely uniform thickness. Many of these paper products are used in your everyday life. For example, notebook paper, cereal boxes, or tissues. In this activity, you will use samples of ordinary cardboard with uniform thickness for the purpose of learning to use a graph for interpolation, or determining an unknown value that lies between two or more known values. Since the thickness of the cardboardis constant, you can measure the mass and area of rectangular samples and graph the data to find a relationship between mass and area (mass/area). Using the graph, you will then be able to find the unknown area of an irregularly shaped sample.

OBJECTIVES:

Measure the mass and calculate the area of rectangular samples of cardboard. Graph mass and area data, drawing a "best-fit" line through the origin of the graph (since zero area would be zero mass – or “nothing”). Interpret the graph to find the area of irregularly shaped sample of cardboard.

MATERIALS:

Balance, 5 rectangles of cardboard, 1 irregular sample of cardstock, ruler, pencil

PROCEDURE:

1. Obtain five rectangles of cardboard.

2. Find the mass of each sample of cardboard and record the sample number and mass in your data table.

3. Measure the length and width of each sample (to the proper number of significant figures, REMEMBER to estimate the LAST DIGIT). Record the measurements under length and width in your data table.

4. Calculate the area (length x width) of each sample of cardboard (enter the area in your data table).

5. Obtain an irregularly shaped sample of cardboard. Find the mass and record the mass and sample letter in your data table.

6. Plot a graph of mass versus area for your rectangular samples. Place mass on the y-axis and area on the x-axis. Make sure to label each axis with quantity and unit, and then give your graph an appropriate and descriptive title. Format the table so that it shows your data clearly.

7. Using Microsoft Excel, draw a "best-fit" line, which is a linear trendline, for your data points. Show the equation of this line and the R2 value on your graph.

8. Solve for the unknown using method A:
Method A: Locate the mass of your irregular sample on the line and determine its area by moving down vertically to the x-axis. Record the area in the data table.

9. Solve for the unknown using method B:
Method B: Use the equation of the trendline to find the area of the unknown. (Plug in mass for y and solve the equation for x, which is area)

10. Determine which value from #8 & 9 is more accurate and record this one in your table.

11. Print out your graph for your instructor
(should be size of an entire page).

DATA:
Organize your data clearly into a single data table. The table should include units in the headings of each column. You will need to record length, width, area and mass for each sample (A, B, C, D, E and unknown). Give your table a title: “Table 1: ______”


QUESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS:

  1. Which method (A or B) do you think was better?Justify your answer.
  2. List and describe three sources of error in this activity.
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