PASCO ME-8569 User Manual

Instruction Manual and
Experiment Guide for
the PASCO scientific
Model ME-8569

DENSITY SET

012-04774A

1/92

Copyright © January 1992 $5.00

Table of Contents

Section Page

Copyright, Warranty, and Equipment Return................................................... ii

Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1

Equipment......................................................................................................... 1

Replacement Parts ............................................................................................ 2

Experiments

Experiment 1: Length, Area, and Volume............................................ 3

Experiment 2: Density .......................................................................... 5

Experiment 3: Buoyancy Force ............................................................ 7

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Experiment 4: Specific Heat............................................................... 11

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Copyright Notice

Copyright and Warranty

Please—Feel free to duplicate this manual
subject to the copyright restrictions below.

The PASCO scientific Model ME-8569 Density Set manual
is copyrighted and all rights reserved. However, permission
is granted to non-profit educational institutions for repro­duction of any part of this manual providing the reproduc­tions are used only for their laboratories and are not sold for
profit. Reproduction under any other circumstances,
without the written consent of PASCO scientific, is prohib­ited.

Limited Warranty

PASCO scientific warrants this product to be free from
defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one
year from the date of shipment to the customer. PASCO

Equipment Return

will repair or replace, at its option, any part of the product
which is deemed to be defective in material or workman­ship. This warranty does not cover damage to the product
caused by abuse or improper use. Determination of whether
a product failure is the result of a manufacturing defect or
improper use by the customer shall be made solely by
PASCO scientific. Responsibility for the return of equip­ment for warranty repair belongs to the customer. Equip­ment must be properly packed to prevent damage and
shipped postage or freight prepaid. (Damage caused by
improper packing of the equipment for return shipment will
not be covered by the warranty.) Shipping costs for
returning the equipment, after repair, will be paid by
PASCO scientific.

Should this product have to be returned to PASCO scientific,
for whatever reason, notify PASCO scientific by letter or
phone BEFORE returning the product. Upon notification,
the return authorization and shipping instructions will be
promptly issued.

NOTE: NO EQUIPMENT WILL BE ACCEPTED
FOR RETURN WITHOUT AN AUTHORIZATION.

When returning equipment for repair, the units must be
packed properly. Carriers will not accept responsibility for
damage caused by improper packing. To be certain the unit
will not be damaged in shipment, observe the following
rules:

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1. The carton must be strong enough for the item shipped.

2. Make certain there is at least two inches of packing
material between any point on the apparatus and the
inside walls of the carton.

3. Make certain that the packing material can not shift in
the box, or become compressed, thus letting the
instrument come in contact with the edge of the box.

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Introduction

The PASCO Model ME-8569 Density Set allows useful
experiments in density, buoyancy force, and specific heat as
well as providing an effective means of distinguishing
between length, volume, and area.

Equipment

The density set consists of six objects:

• aluminum cylinder

• aluminum block

• brass cylinder

• brass block

• polypropylene cylinder

• aluminum irregular shape

Each object has a small hole through which a string can be
tied to suspend the object. The objects in this set can be
categorized in three different ways: those objects having the
same volume, same mass, or same density.

SAME VOLUME

• aluminum cylinder

• aluminum block

• brass cylinder

• polypropylene cylinder

• aluminum irregular shape

SAME MASS

• aluminum cylinder

• aluminum block

• brass block

• aluminum irregular shape

SAME DENSITY

• aluminum cylinder

• aluminum block

• aluminum irregular shape

SAME DENSITY

• brass cylinder

• brass block

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Replacement Parts

ITEM PASCO PART NUMBER
aluminum cylinder 648-04768
aluminum block 648-04772
brass cylinder 648-04770
brass block 648-04771
polypropylene cylinder 648-04769
aluminum irregular shape 648-04773

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Experiment #1: Length, Area, and Volume

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:

Density set
Calipers (SF-8711)
String (SE-8050)
Overflow can (SE-8568)
Beaker for catching water
Graduated cylinder (50 ml)

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this experiment is to distinguish between
length, area, and volume.

PROCEDURE

I. LENGTH
Using the calipers, measure the longest side of each of the

five regularly-shaped objects. Record the results in Table

1.1.
II. AREA
A. Using the calipers, measure the diameter of each of the

three cylinders. Divide the diameter by two to get the
radius, r.

Calculate the area of the circular end of the cylinders using:

A = πr2.

B. Using the calipers, measure the width and height of one
end of each of the blocks. Calculate the area of the end of
the block by multiplying the width by the height. Record the
results in Table 1.1.

III. VOLUME
A. By Calculation
For each of the regularly-shaped objects, calculate the

volume by multiplying the area of one end by the length of
the object. Record in Table 1.1.

B. By Displacement of Water
For each of the regularly-shaped objects, find the volume by

finding the volume of water that each one displaces:

1. Put the beaker under the overflow can spout as shown in
Figure 1.

2. Pour water into the overflow can until it overflows into
the beaker. Allow the water to stop overflowing on its own
and empty the beaker into the sink and return it to its
position under the overflow can spout without jarring the
overflow can.

3. Tie a string to each of the objects (including the
irregularly-shaped object).

4. Gently lower the first object into the overflow can until it
is completely submerged. Allow the water to stop overflow­ing and then pour the water from the beaker into the gradu­ated cylinder.

Record the results in Table 1.1.

OBJECT LENGTH AREA VOLUME DISPLACED VOLUME % DIFF.

AL. CYL.

AL. BLOCK

BRASS CYL.

BRASS BLOCK

PLASTIC

AL. IRREG.

SHAPE

Table 1.1: Length, Area, and Volume

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Measure the volume of water that was displaced by reading
the water level in the graduated cylinder in milliliters
(1 ml = 1 cm3). Record this volume in Table 1.1.

5. Repeat this procedure for the other objects. Note that the
plastic object will float in water so it cannot be used in this
part of the experiment.

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ANALYSIS
For each of the regular objects, calculate the percent differ-

ence between the two values found for the volume.

QUESTIONS

1. Which objects have nearly the same volume?

2. Which objects have nearly the same length?

3. Which objects have nearly the same cross-sectional area?

4. Did any two objects have the same volume but did not
have the same length or the same area?

Figure 1: Overflow Setup

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Experiment #2: Density

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:

Density set: brass cylinder and brass block
Calipers (SF-8711)
String (SE-8050)
Overflow can (SE-8568)
Beaker for catching water
Graduated cylinder (50 ml)
Triple-beam balance (SE-8708)

PURPOSE:

This experiment finds the densities of different-shaped
objects made of the same material.

PROCEDURE

Using the triple-beam balance, find the mass of the brass
cylinder and the brass block. Record the results in Table 2.1.

I. CALCULATED VOLUME
A. Cylinder
Using the calipers, measure the length, L, of the brass

cylinder. Record the results in Table 2.1. Measure the
diameter of the cylinder. Divide the diameter by two to get
the radius, r. Calculate the volume of the cylinder using:

V = πr2L.

Record the results in Table 2.1.
B. Block

II. DISPLACED VOLUME
For each of the two brass objects, find the volume by finding

the volume of water that each one displaces:

1. Put the beaker under the overflow can spout as shown in
Figure 1.

2. Pour water into the overflow can until it overflows into
the beaker. Allow the water to stop overflowing on its own
and empty the beaker into the sink and return it to its
position under the overflow can spout without jarring the
overflow can.

3. Tie a string to each of the objects.

4. Gently lower the first object into the overflow can until it
is completely submerged. Allow the water to stop overflow­ing and then pour the water from the beaker into the gradu­ated cylinder.

Measure the volume of water that was displaced by reading
the water level in the graduated cylinder in milliliters
(1 ml = 1 cm3). Record this volume in Table 2.1.

5. Repeat this procedure for the other object.
ANALYSIS
For each method of finding the volume, calculate the

density, d, of each object using:

mass

d =

volume
Obtain the accepted value for the density of brass from your
instructor or from a reference book.

For each experimental value of the density, calculate the
percent difference from the accepted value and record the
results in Table 2.2.

Using the calipers, measure the length (L), width (W), and
height (H) of the brass block. Calculate the volume of the
block using:

V = L x W x H.

Record the results in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1: Measurements

OBJECT MASS DIMENSIONS VOLUME DISPLACED VOLUME

CYLINDER

BLOCK

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QUESTIONS

1. Which object took up more space?

2. Which object weighed more?

3. Which object was more dense?

ACCEPTED DENSITY VALUE =

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Table 2.2: Results

OBJECT

CYLINDER

BLOCK

CALCULATED

DENSITY

DENSITY BY

DISPLACEMENT

% DIFFERENCE

FROM ACCEPTED

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Experiment #3: Bouyant Force

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:

Density set
String (SE-8050)
Overflow can (SE-8568)
Beaker for catching water
Graduated cylinder (50 ml)
Triple-beam balance (SE-8708)

PURPOSE:

This experiment measures the buoyant force on an object in
water by using Archimedes’ Principle and by finding the
upward force on the object while it is submerged.

PROCEDURE

I. ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE
Archimedes’ Principle states that the buoyant force exerted

on an object partially or fully submerged in a fluid will be
equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. To
use this principle to find the buoyant force exerted on each
object, follow these steps:

1. Find the mass of the empty beaker and record this at the
top of Table 3.1. Put the beaker under the overflow can
spout as shown in Figure 1.

Table 3.1: Measurements

MASS OF BEAKER =

OBJECT

AL. CYLINDER

AL. BLOCK

MASS OF BEAKER +

WATER

Figure 1: Overflow Setup

2. Pour water into the overflow can until it overflows into
the beaker. Allow the water to stop overflowing on its own
and empty the beaker into the sink and return it to its
position under the overflow can spout without jarring the
overflow can.

3. Tie a string to each of the objects.

4. Gently lower the first object into the overflow can until it
is completely submerged. Allow the water to stop overflow­ing and then find the mass of the beaker with the water in it.
Record this mass in Table 3.1.

MASS OF

WATER

WEIGHT OF DISPLACED

WATER

BRASS CYL.

BRASS BLOCK

PLASTIC CYL.

AL. IRREG. SHAPE

BRASS CYL. 1/2

SUBMERGED

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5. Calculate the mass of the water by subtracting the mass of
the beaker. Then calculate the weight of the displaced water
by multiplying by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2).
Record the result in Table 3.1 and Table 3.2.

6. Repeat this procedure for the other objects. Note that the
plastic object will float in water but it can still be used in this

Buoyant

Force

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Thus the buoyant force can be calculated by finding the
difference between the weight of the object in air and the
apparent weight of the object when it is submerged in water.

1. Put the triple-beam balance on top of a stand as shown in
Figure 3. Tie a string to the bottom of the pan.

2. Hang the first object from the string. The balance will
read the same as when the object is placed on top of the pan.
Multiply the mass by the acceleration due to gravity
(9.8 m/s2) and record the object’s weight in Table 3.2.

30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100g

100 200 300 400 500g

SCALE

Weight in

air

Weight in

water

Figure 2: Free Body Diagram

part of the experiment. Also, repeat the procedure for the
brass cylinder with only half the cylinder submerged.

II. UPWARD FORCE
When an object is submerged in a fluid, the apparent weight

of the object is less than the weight in air because of the
buoyant force (See Figure 2).

Table 3.2: Measurements

OBJECT

WEIGHT

IN AIR

WEIGHT IN

WATER

AL. CYLINDER

BF =

W -W

AIR

Figure 3: Scale Setup

WEIGHT OF

WATER

DISPLACED WATER

AL. BLOCK

BRASS CYL.

BRASS BLOCK

PLASTIC CYL.

AL. IRREG. SHAPE

BRASS CYL. 1/2

SUBMERGED

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3. While the object is still hanging from the balance,
submerge the object in a beaker of water so that the entire
object is under water but it is not touching the sides or
bottom of the beaker. Record the reading on the scale and
multiply by gravity to get the apparent weight. Record in
Table 3.2.

4. Calculate the buoyant force by taking the difference
between the weight in air and the weight in water. Record in
Table 3.2.

5. Repeat these steps for all the objects. Note that the
plastic cylinder will float so don’t try to completely sub­merge it in the water. Also, for the half-submerged brass
cylinder, find the apparent weight in the water when only
half the cylinder is submerged.

QUESTIONS

1. In each case, is the buoyant force found using the
difference between weights equal to the weight of the water
displaced?

2. Which objects had the same buoyant force when sub­merged?

Why?

3. For the plastic cylinder, what was the weight in water?

4. How was the buoyant force for the totally submerged
brass cylinder related to the buoyant force for the half­submerged brass cylinder?

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Notes

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Experiment #4: Specific Heat

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

Density set: Aluminum and Brass cylinders and blocks
String (SE-8050)
Beaker for heating water
Styrofoam cup
Cold water
Triple-beam balance (SE-8708)
Bunsen burner
Heating stand
Thermometer (SE-9083)

PURPOSE:

This experiment shows that the specific heat of a material
depends on the type of material but not on the amount of
material.

PROCEDURE

The specific heat, c, of a material is defined to be the amount
of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of the
material one degree Celsius. To measure this heat, the
method of mixtures will be used. The following procedure
will be repeated for four objects (aluminum cylinder,
aluminum block, brass cylinder, and brass block):

1. Heat a beaker of water to boiling. While the water
continues to boil, hang the object by a string so that the
object is completely submerged in the boiling water but it is
not touching the bottom of the beaker. Allow the object to
come to equilibrium with the boiling water (wait about 5
minutes). See Figure 1.

Submerge mass
in water

Figure 1: Heating Setup

2. While waiting, find the mass of a dry styrofoam cup and
then prepare a styrofoam cup of cold water (about 3°C below
room temperature) into which the heated object can be
completely submerged. When the object has finished
heating, record the temperature of the cold water to the
nearest tenth of a degree, then record the temperature of the
boiling water, and quickly transfer the heated object from the
hot water to the cold water (See Figure 2). Record in Table

4.1.

MASS OF CUP =

OBJECT

AL. CYL.

AL. BLOCK

BRASS CYL.

BRASS

BLOCK

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HOT

TEMPERATURE

Table 4.1: Data

COLD

TEMPERATURE

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EQUILIBRIUM

TEMPERATURE

MASS OF

WATER

Thermometer

Submerge mass
in water

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7. When the object is cooled in the water, the heat lost by
the object is equal to the heat gained by the water because
energy is conserved (neglecting any losses to the environ­ment):

Figure 2: Equilibrium Temperature

3. Watch the temperature of the cold water rise, stirring the
water gently. After several minutes, the temperature will
peak out (above room temperature) and began to fall.
Record this equilibrium (peak) temperature to the nearest
tenth of a degree in Table 1.

4. After the equilibrium temperature has been reached,
remove the object from the water and weigh the water with
the cup. Subtract the mass of the cup from the mass of the
water with the cup and record the mass of the water in
Table 4.1.

5. Calculate the change in temperature for the object:
∆T = HOT TEMP - EQUILIBRIUM TEMP.
Record this in Table 4.2.

6. Calculate the change in temperature for the water in the
styrofoam cup:

∆Q

(mc∆T)

OBJECT

OBJECT

= ∆Q

WATER

= (mc∆T)

WATER

Solving for the specific heat of the object gives:

where c

m

c =

WATER

WATERcWATER

m

OBJECT

is 1 cal/g °C. Calculate the specific heat for

(∆T)

(∆T)

OBJECT

WATER

the object and record the results in Table 4.2.

8. Look up the accepted value for the specific heat for the
material used and record in Table 4.2. Calculate the percent
difference between the experimental value and the accepted
value.

9. Repeat this procedure for the other objects.

QUESTIONS

1. Do the two aluminum objects have the same specific
heat?

2. Do the two brass objects have the same specific heat?

3. How does starting the cold water below room temperature
minimize the effect of the losses to the environment?

∆T = EQUILIBRIUM TEMP - COLD TEMP.
Record this in Table 4.2.

OBJECT OBJECT ∆T WATER ∆T

AL. CYL.

AL. BLOCK

BRASS CYL.

BRASS BLOCK

Table 4.2: Calculations

SPECIFIC

12

HEAT

ACCEPTED

VALUE

%

DIFF.

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Technical Support

Feedback

If you have any comments about the product or
manual, please let us know. If you have any sugges­tions on alternate experiments or find a problem in the
manual, please tell us. PASCO appreciates any
customer feedback. Your input helps us evaluate and
improve our product.

To Reach PASCO

For technical support, call us at 1-800-772-8700
(toll-free within the U.S.) or [phone].

fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
web: www.pasco.com

Contacting Technical Support

Before you call the PASCO Technical Support staff,
it would be helpful to prepare the following infor­mation:

➤ If your problem is with the PASCO apparatus,
note:

- Title and model number (usually listed on the

label);

- Approximate age of apparatus;

- A detailed description of the problem/sequence

of events. (In case you can’t call PASCO right
away, you won’t lose valuable data.);

- If possible, have the apparatus within reach

when calling to facilitate description of indi­vidual parts.

➤ If your problem relates to the instruction manual,
note:

- Part number and revision (listed by month and

year on the front cover);

- Have the manual at hand to discuss your ques-

tions.