Counting by Weighing

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Physical Science 20

Counting by Weighing

Purpose:
To learn and apply the principle that it is possible to count a number of items by weighing them.

Materials:
Beans of 3 sizes
Small glass beads (or other appropriate substitute)
Electronic balance
Weighing boats

Procedure:

1. There are 4 items in the class:


 3 sizes of beans, labelled A, B and C
 Glass beads
You are given the masses of 25 of each object and 1 of each object in the table on the next page.

2. Based on the masses of 25, calculate the mass of 1 of each item (the number 25 items has an infinite
number of significant digits; base significant digits on the mass values). Write your answer in the
table. The table also contains the mass 1 of each item. Calculate the percent difference between the
calculated and actual value for each item:

% difference = actual mass - calculated mass x 100%


actual mass

3. Suggest reasons for the percent differences you calculated in 2.

4. Using the 50-mL beakers provided, fill the beaker with Bean A. The table provided gives you this
mass. Using the calculated mass of one bean from question 2, calculate the number of beans in the
beaker (write it as a whole number). You are also given a manual count the beans. Calculate the
percent difference. Show your work.

5. Calculate the mass of a “molecule” using 2 A beans, 6 B beans, 1 C bean and 8 glass beads (use the
calculated mass of 1 item). You are also given the actual mass of the “molecule”. Calculate the
percent difference of the molecule.

6. Using the calculated values of one of each item from questions 2 and 5, calculate the mass of
6.022 x 1023 of each item.

7. A loonie has a mass of 6.27 g. How many loonies would have a mass equivalent to 1 mole of Bean
A? How many people would have a billion dollars if the money was divided between them? How
many times the population of the planet (approximately 7 billion) does this represent?

8. 6.022 x 1023 is called a mole. The atomic weights on your Periodic Table are the masses of 1 mole
of each element. How much would 150.0 moles of hydrogen weigh? How much would 1 atom of
hydrogen weigh?

FC2-1a
2. Data Table:

Bean A Bean B Bean C Glass Bead


Mass of 25 (g) 126.55 182.36 98.24 66.54
Mass of 1 (g) 4.96 7.31 4.11 2.62
Calculated Mass
of 1 (g)
Percent
difference (%)

Sample Calculations (only 1 per calculation type)

Answer to Question 3:

4. The Mass of 50-mL of Bean A

Item Mass of Beaker- Number of Actual number Percent


full (g) Items of items Difference
(Calculated)
Bean A 315.22 62

Calculations:

FC2-1a
5. Mass of a Molecule

Calculated mass of 1 molecule


(g)
Actual mass of 1 molecule (g) 79.85
Percent difference (%)

Calculations:

6. Mass of 6.022 x 1023

Item Mass of 6.022 x 1023


(g)
Bean A
Bean B
Bean C
Glass Beads
Molecule

Sample Calculation:

FC2-1a
7. Mass of 1 mole of Bean A =

Number of loonies in this mass (show all work):

Number of billionaires (show all work):

Times the population of the planet (show all work):

8. Mass of 150.0 moles of Hydrogen (show all work):

Mass of 1 atom of Hydrogen (show all work):

FC2-1a

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