Grade : 9

Topic: INSTRUMENTS

Specific Objective:

Candidates should be able to:

 list instrument used in physics to measure different quantities;

 use instruments and combination of instruments to measure different quantities;
 list precautions and limitations for each instrument;
 state the different categories of errors, examples for each and how they may be caused.
……………………………………………………….........................………………………………………

Instruments

Instruments are used to extend the senses. They are constructed with the ability to detect changes
in and amounts of quantities that if left up to the human senses may not be accurate. For example, it may
be difficult to tell the temperature of day using your skin. However, by using a thermometer the exact
value for the temperature of the day can be determined. Instruments are calibrated to standardized scales
that are accepted and used worldwide.

Table Showing Instruments Used to Measure Basic Quantities in Physics

QUANTITY INSTRUMENTS OF MEASUREMENT

Mass lever arm balance, triple beam balance, electronic balance

Length micrometer screw gauge, vernier calliper, metre rule

Time Stopwatch

Temperature clinical and laboratory thermometers, thermocouple, maximum and

minimum thermometers, digital thermometer

Current ammeter, galvanometer, multimeters

Measuring Mass

Mass, m/kg, is the measure of the amount of matter/particles a body One standardized
contains.
kilogram is equal to the mass of an international prototype (platinum-iridium) metal cylinder kept in a city
called Sèvres, Rome. Mass cannot change unless atoms are added to or subtracted from a body. It is a
constant scalar quantity.

Weight should not be confused with mass – they are not the same. Weight is the force of
attraction (pull) which the earth exerts on a body. Weight, therefore varies slightly from place to place
depending on the pull of gravity. Lever arm balances, electronic balances, beam balances and spring
balances are used for measuring mass. They can also be calibrated to measure weight (especially and
most frequently spring balances). The relationship between mass and weight is that weight can be
obtained from the product of mass and the value of gravitational field strength (9.81 N kg -1 or 10 N kg-1
for convenience). (More about mass and weight later in Section B of this text).

The following explains the general make up and use of the instruments used to measure mass.

Lever Arm Balance

Smallest Division: 1 g; 5 g
Range: 0 - 250 g or 0 - 1000 g

A lever arm balance consists of scale pan with a

pointer attached which moves along a circular scale.
When a body is placed in the scale pan, the
measurement is indicated on the scale. The lever
arm balance is simpler and the measurement can be
determined quicker than the triple beam balance. However, it is less accurate and less sensitive than the
triple beam balance.
Using a Lever Arm Balance

 Ensure that the scale pan is clean.

 Make sure the pointer is indicating zero with no mass on.

 Choose the appropriate scale. If the mass is between 0 - 250 g move the weight up to indicate this
scale. If the mass is between 250 - 1 000 g, place the weight in the down position.

 Gently place the object in the pan and take the reading on the scale.

 Read the scale so as to avoid parallax error.

MAGNIFIED notch on
PORTION OF pointer
THE TRIPLE
Smallest Division:
BEAM directly in
0.1 g Range: 0 - 610 BALANCE
g line with
the
marking

immovable arm
Notch on the pointer must be directly in
line with the notch on the immovable
arm

The triple beam balance consists of three beams with moveable masses. The system works on the
moment principle (see Section B). The object is placed on the pan and the masses are adjusted until the
system balances. Various models of these are used in hospitals and health clinics to measure the mass of
patients.

Using a Triple Beam Balance

 Ensure that the scale pan is clean.

 Make sure the balance is level with the pointer pointing at the mean position line when all the
adjusting masses are on zero and there is no mass on the pan (see the magnified inset above).
Adjust the zeroing screw if necessary.

 Carefully place the object that is to be measured on the centre of the scale (This will see the
pan. pointer moving upwards).

 Adjust the smallest mass by sliding it along the beam. If it slides to the end and the beam does
not move downwards, slide it back to the zero position. (Do the same for the smaller mass; if the
beam does not move slide it back to the zero position. If it did move, just substitute what is been
done in the following steps).

 Carefully adjust the third and largest mass at each notch along the beam. The notch that the mass
is placed that allows the beam to fall, place the notch back to the previous notch so that the beam
moves back up. (For instance: if you adjusted the mass to the “50 notch” and the beam falls,
replace the mass back to the “40 notch”)
  Do the same for the smaller mass – adjust until the beam falls then replace to previous notch.

 Adjust the smallest mass along the beam until the pointer points to the mean position. The
masses now balances (is equal to) the mass of the object

 Total the readings on each beam to obtain the mass of the object.

first beam
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

second
beam
0 100 200 300 400 500

third beam
0 1 2 4 5 6 7 9 10
3 8

An Isolated Display of the Beams of a Triple Beam Balance (The Arrows ( ) Represents the Masses)

How to Acquire Reading from Beams

On the first beam = 70 g

On the second beam = 200 g

On the third beam = 6.3 g

Measurement (Mass) of the quantity = 276.3 g

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The Electronic Balance

1

Smallest Division: 0.01 g

Range: 0 - 200 g or 0 - 600 g

The easiest balance to use; however not widely used because

it is fairly expensive. They are very sensitive and precise and have a comparatively small range than the
other balances. They are also very delicate and should not be overstressed by excessive masses or pressed
on. When this occurs, usually an error function (“E”) indicating that the body placed on it is too heavy.
Electronic balances normally have a digital scale.

Using an Electronic Balance

 The pan must be clean and zeroed when no mass is on. If not, wipe pan and / or press the “reset”
or “tare” button.
  Place the object to be measured on the pan and record the final steady reading.

Activity – Question

1. Place the following instruments used to measure mass in order of least sensitive to most sensitive.

- lever arm balance -electronic balance triple beam balance (2 marks)

2. Rohan is a collector of cranberry water bottle corks. He wanted to measure the mass of one of the corks;
however, the only available balance is a triple beam balance that is not sensitive enough to do so.
a) Define the term “sensitivity” and explain the reason for the triple beam balance not being sensitive
enough to measure the mass of one cork. (3 marks)

b) What can Rohan do in order to to measure the mass of one cork? (2 marks)

c) Rohan collected 100 corks. If the total mass of all the corks is 66.0 g, what is the mass of the cork?

(2 marks)

d) Give one precaution when using the triple beam balance. (1 mark)

Total = 10 marks

ADVANCED READING

Cite at least three (3) differences between mass and weight.