Copy of Lab 1 - Measurement - Volume of the Library

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School

University of Massachusetts, Amherst *

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Course

151

Subject

Physics

Date

Jan 9, 2024

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pdf

Pages

8

Uploaded by ConstableMoon12743

Measurement - Volume of the Library Overview The basic activity of any experiment is making measurements. Scientists make measurements to make new discoveries. Engineers make measurements to build things. Physicians make measurements to diagnose and treat people. Understanding what a measurement is and how to make a measurement is central to the work many people do. There are some crucial characteristics of measurements to keep in mind: There is no such thing as an exact measurement. Every measurement has an error. Error does NOT mean mistake. An error is the limitation of the measurement. A range of values that the measurement is still valid. Error IS a part of the measurement. You can MEASURE error! Objectives The objectives of this experiment are: Practice how to design an experiment. Make measurements. Determine the error in the measurements. Learn techniques of propagating error of the results. Part 1 - Experimental Design What is the volume of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library? First, you will be designing a method to measure the volume of the library here on campus. When designing an experiment there are some basic questions you need to answer: What is the model of the system (library) you are measuring? Rectangular Prism What physical quantities does a model have in common with the system? Length, height, and width How will you measure these quantities? Meter stick What limitation (error) do you estimate in each of the measured quantities? Probably a few meters University of Massachusetts - Amherst Fall 2022 Physics Department 1/8
By Ktr101 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17831764 Now with your lab partner, design a method to measure the volume of the library. You may only use a meter stick to measure the volume of the library. NOTE: You are not being graded on your accuracy. The variations from student to student is a crucial part of this lab! 1. Describe your methods of measuring the volume of the library. Include a picture or diagram of your method. I will measure about how many meters the height of one window and multiply it by the number of floors in the building. Then I’ll just measure one brick and then count how many bricks there are in a row of the library for length and width. University of Massachusetts - Amherst Fall 2022 Physics Department 2/8
Part 2 - Individual Measurement Now you and your lab partner will go to the W.E.B. Du Bois Library to measure its volume. The only thing you will have to measure with is a meter stick. EACH STUDENT MUST MAKE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL MEASUREMENTS! DO NOT SHARE YOUR MEASUREMENTS WITH ANYONE YET! WARNING: DO NOT ENTER THE FENCED IN SPACE AROUND THE LIBRARY! THIS IS RESTRICTED SPACE! 2. Is your method of measuring the library successful? Explain why or why not? If not, explain what new method to measure the volume of the library you used. No, I changed to measuring the stairs on one floor and multiplying it by how many floors there are in the building for the height. The windows wouldn’t work because of the gaps between windows we can’t measure, and the space on the first floor we can’t measure. The method worked for the length and width however. 3. Record your INDIVIDUAL measurements of the dimensions of the library. Include your estimate of the error (+/-) of each dimension. Length (m) Width (m) Height (m) 35.055 +1% 35.055 +1% 118.625 +5% 4. Calculate the volume of the library using the dimensions you measured. What do you estimate is the error (+/-) in your value of the volume? The error of an individual measurement is an estimate. It is your best judgment of the limit you are able to make a measurement. Volume V (m) 145772 +10% University of Massachusetts - Amherst Fall 2022 Physics Department 3/8
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