Description of activity: In this project, we were given five objects with unknown mass, a wooden board and a dowel. We had to use the dowel and wood to build a scale so we could estimate the masses of the five objects. After we put the objects in order of heaviest to lightest, we were allowed to pick two objects to weigh on a real scale. Then, knowing the mass of the two objects, we had to estimate the masses of the other three objects. After we guessed, we had to measure them on the real scale then calculate our precent error.
Materials used: Five objects (large washer, small washer, screw, nut, and bolt), a piece of wood, dowel and play-doh.
Method: I chose to estimate the objects for step one by putting the two on the scale that I thought were the heaviest, then I would compare the lighter one to the object I believed was lighter, until I found the lightest object. For step three, I set up the scale like an equation, for example if I knew that the big washer was 30 grams and I also knew that the nickel was 5 grams and I knew that Large washer=nickel+nut with translated to 30 = 5 + n then I could use a simple equation to figure out that the nut was about 25 grams.
Reflection: What went well was that I got most of the estimated weights close to their actually mass, but I had some trouble with the scale made out of wood and a dowel because it kept moving and not giving accurate weights. Overall, I think I tried my best on this project.
Materials used: Five objects (large washer, small washer, screw, nut, and bolt), a piece of wood, dowel and play-doh.
Method: I chose to estimate the objects for step one by putting the two on the scale that I thought were the heaviest, then I would compare the lighter one to the object I believed was lighter, until I found the lightest object. For step three, I set up the scale like an equation, for example if I knew that the big washer was 30 grams and I also knew that the nickel was 5 grams and I knew that Large washer=nickel+nut with translated to 30 = 5 + n then I could use a simple equation to figure out that the nut was about 25 grams.
Reflection: What went well was that I got most of the estimated weights close to their actually mass, but I had some trouble with the scale made out of wood and a dowel because it kept moving and not giving accurate weights. Overall, I think I tried my best on this project.