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Lab Write Up

This lab measured the density of pre-1982 pennies made of copper and post-1982 pennies made of zinc-copper. Students measured the mass and volume of each type of penny using a graduated cylinder and scale. Their data showed that the pre-1982 pennies had a higher density, as copper has a greater density than zinc. A graph of their results clearly illustrated that at all measured volumes, the pre-1982 pennies had greater mass, supporting the hypothesis that pennies made solely of copper would have higher density.

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53 views3 pages

Lab Write Up

This lab measured the density of pre-1982 pennies made of copper and post-1982 pennies made of zinc-copper. Students measured the mass and volume of each type of penny using a graduated cylinder and scale. Their data showed that the pre-1982 pennies had a higher density, as copper has a greater density than zinc. A graph of their results clearly illustrated that at all measured volumes, the pre-1982 pennies had greater mass, supporting the hypothesis that pennies made solely of copper would have higher density.

Uploaded by

api-297153504
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lab Write Up

1. TITLE: Penny Lab Write up


Measuring the density of copper and copper/zinc covered pennies
2. ABSTRACT:
This lab introduced us to the study of density in pennies with copper and zinc. Copper has a density of
8.96 g/ml and Zinc has a density of 7.13 g/ml. We performed experiments using a graduated cylinder to
measure the mass of the pre-1982 pennies and the post-1982 pennies to check which had greater volume/
mass to then check which density was greater. We then wrote down our conclusions into a spreadsheet
and created a graph to represent our data. Our data concluded that the pre-1982 pennies had a greater
density than post-1982 pennies, as predicted because the density of copper is heavier.

3. INTRODUCTION (1 paragraph): Introduce the topic.


Prior knowledge we had on the subject before conducting the experiment consisted of how copper has a
higher density than zinc. Pennies made before 1982 were made out of copper while pennies after 1982
were made out of zinc and copper. During the experiment, we observed the feel and texture of the
pennies. We heard the coins dropping into the graduated cylinder. We didnt taste anything in particular
during the lab. We could smell the copper and zinc, and lastly, we could see the scale boats and all of our
measuring tools.

4. QUESTION & HYPOTHESIS: Will a penny made out of copper have a higher density than a penny
made out of zinc and copper? If pennies are made out of only copper then the density will be greater than
those made out of zinc and copper because the density of copper is higher than the density of zinc.
5. MATERIALS (list): What scientific equipment did you use?
graduated cylinder
weight boats
scale
pennies
water
6. PROCEDURE (list): What steps did you take?
1. procedure for pennies
gather our materials
we grabbed the pre 1982 pennies and weighed them
after we weighed them we filled the graduated cylinder with 10 g/ml and began measuring the
pennies
we wrote down our data
then repeated the process for the post 1982
2. how to use the graduated cylinder to measure volume (water displacement)

Place the graduated cylinder on a flat surface


view the height of the liquid in the cylinder with your eyes directly opposite the top of the
liquid surface.
The liquid (if water or a solution containing water) will tend to curve downward
Always read the bottom of the meniscus.
3. how to use volume and mass to calculate density

density is mass/volume. We calculated our mass and volume for each penny and then
plugged it into the formula y=mx+b to create the desired to slope to then make our graph.
(y=mx+b)

7. RESULTS:
Date Table:
Pre 1982

Post 1982

Volume

Mass

Volume

Mass

0.1

3.1

0.1

2.5

6.1

14.8

2.5

12.5

23.9

19.9

3.9

30.1

3.9

24.9

Graph:

The graph shows how while both pennies elevate higher in volume and mass, the pre 1982 pennies are
still heavier. In the pre 1982 pennies the density increases, the density starts at 0.611 and moving higher
until it reaches an ending density of 7.495. In the post 1982 pennies the density also increase but not as
much as the pre 1982 pennies. Its starting point is 0.202 and increases up to an ending density of 6.075.

8. CONCLUSION:
According to this experiment, our hypothesis was accepted because our data supported our initial
thought of how the volume and mass of copper pennies would exceed that of zinc and copper covered
pennies because copper has a higher density. Something we could have fixed would be measuring the
volume more carefully and being more concise. Albeit, our results were supportive of our hypothesis but
the range of measurement for our pre 1982 pennies was a bit off. We collected enough data as
aforementioned, it was not succinct and particular. We didnt measure carefully enough. Some ways we
could have made mistakes was by mixing up the pennies, not measuring the water displacement correctly,
and by mixing up our numbers when writing down the results.
This pattern of density between copper and zinc pennies exist because they simply have a
different measurement of mass and volume. Our findings intrigued us because we learned about the
density of elements and how they are different. We reckon most of the population didnt notice the slight
change in weight of pennies after 1982. Why do other elements carved into a single entity and shape
sometimes differ in weight? Why do some materials/elements etc, weigh more than others? Was anyone
able to feel the change in the pennies weight? Why was the penny made out of fully copper denser than
the penny made out of two elements of a high density?
9. CITATIONS:
Penny Lab Worksheet (Biotechnology 2016)

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