Properties Of Matter Lab

The purpose of the Physical Properties of Matter Lab is to determine the identity the metal sample based on the density, the specific heat, and qualitative observations. The generalized purpose of this lab is to apply the Conservation of Energy Law to solve a problem.

Materials List: These are all the materials you will need to repeat this lab
Balance - It will be used to measure the mass of the metal samples
Six Metal Samples - These are the samples we are testing
Styrofoam Cup Calorimeter - This will be used to measure the amount of heat involved.
Beaker - It will be used as a container for the water that is boiling
Hot plate - It will be used to heat up the water to boil
4 Graduated Cylinder (10 mL, 25 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL) - These will be used for water

1) First, find the mass of the six metal samples with the balance. The mass of the metals will be used to calculate density and the specific heat of the metal later.
2) Next, find the volume of each metal sample by water displacement. Pour water into a graduated cylinder. Record the initial volume of the water, and then put the metal sample into the graduated cylinder. Next record the volume of the water with the metal sample and then subtract the initial volume from the final volume. That is the volume of the metal sample. Please note that some samples are bigger in size and the use of a bigger graduated cylinder may be needed. The volume of the metal sampled will be used to calculate the density of the metal sample.
3) After that, place the two samples into the boiling water bath for five minutes. This will help us find the change in temperature later.
4) Measure the temperature of the boiling water with the thermometer. This will help us calculate the change in temperature for the two metal samples later.
5) Find the mass of the empty styrofoam cup calorimeter with the balance. This mass will help us calculated the mass of the water