1. Suspend the meter stick by a string from its center.
2. Notice carefully where it balances. It probably will not balance exactly at 50 cm. All distances must be measured to this point (called the fulcrum).
3. Hang a 200 g mass on one side and a 50 g mass on the other and adjust the distances from the fulcrum until the meter stick balances.(Be sure to account for the mass of the hanger from which you are suspending the masses. This can either be part of the total mass or, alternatively, if you are using something like coffee cups to hold the masses, their masses need to be matched perfectly before starting the experiment. You can do this by first checking to see how close they come to each other in mass and then simply add small weights, like thumb tacks or small paperclips to one cup to make the two cups have equal starting masses. Leave these "mass equalizers" in the coffee cup and now you have a matched set of mass holders to use for the lever. Now add the additional 200 g or 50 g to the cups as called for by the experiment. Disregard the actual mass of the coffee cups since they are matched.)
Measure the distances from the 200 g and 50 g masses to the fulcrum.
200 g: cm
50 g: cm
Repeat using a 100 g mass and 300 g mass.
300 g: cm
100 g: cm
Formulate a general statement concerning the relationship of mass and distance.
Repeat using two 100 g masses.
100 g: cm
100 g: cm
Does your general statement still hold?
4. Hang a 50 g and 100 g mass on one side of the fulcrum at two different locations and balance a 200 g mass on the other side.
Measure the distances to the fulcrum.
50 g: cm
100 g: cm
200 g: cm
Does your general statement still hold?
Formulate a general statement concerning this case.
do you get the answer?
Based on the given information, here is a step-by-step breakdown of the process:
1. Suspend the meter stick by a string from its center.
2. Observe where the meter stick balances. This point is called the fulcrum.
3. Hang a 200 g mass on one side of the fulcrum and a 50 g mass on the other side. Adjust the distances from the fulcrum until the meter stick balances. Take note of the distances from the fulcrum to the 200 g and 50 g masses.
4. Repeat the previous step using a 100 g mass on one side and a 300 g mass on the other side. Again, measure the distances from the fulcrum to each mass.
5. Formulate a general statement about the relationship between mass and distance based on the measurements taken in steps 3 and 4.
6. Repeat the experiment with two 100 g masses on each side of the fulcrum. Measure the distances from the fulcrum to each mass. Check if the general statement from step 5 holds true in this case as well.
7. Hang a 50 g and 100 g mass on one side of the fulcrum at two different locations and balance a 200 g mass on the other side. Measure the distances from the fulcrum to each mass.
8. Determine if the general statement formulated in step 5 still holds true in this scenario.
9. Formulate a general statement concerning this case, taking into account the measurements and observations made in steps 7 and 8.
By following the steps provided, you can conduct an experiment to investigate the relationship between mass and distance for a meter stick.
1. Suspend the meter stick from its center using a string.
2. Observe where the meter stick balances. This point is called the fulcrum.
3. Hang a 200g mass on one side of the meter stick and a 50g mass on the other side. Adjust the distances from the fulcrum until the meter stick balances. Make sure to consider the mass of the hanger that supports the masses. If you use coffee cups, ensure they have equal masses by adding small weights, such as thumbtacks or paperclips.
- Measure the distance from the fulcrum to the 200g mass (in cm):
- Measure the distance from the fulcrum to the 50g mass (in cm):
4. Repeat the experiment using a 100g mass on one side and a 300g mass on the other side.
- Measure the distance from the fulcrum to the 300g mass (in cm):
- Measure the distance from the fulcrum to the 100g mass (in cm):
5. Next, use two 100g masses on each side of the fulcrum and repeat the experiment.
- Measure the distance from the fulcrum to the first 100g mass (in cm):
- Measure the distance from the fulcrum to the second 100g mass (in cm):
6. Analyze the results obtained in steps 3, 4, and 5 to formulate a general statement about the relationship between mass and distance.
Once you have collected all the measurements, you can analyze the data to determine the relationship between mass and distance for the meter stick. Compare the results of each case and observe any patterns or trends that emerge.
Based on your observations, formulate a general statement that describes the relationship between mass and distance. Check if this statement holds true for all the cases you tested. Additionally, in step 4, measure the distance from the fulcrum to the 200g mass and use this data to formulate a general statement about this specific case.
Remember to record all your data accurately and consider any sources of error that might have affected your results.