Group

Members:________________,_________________,________________,___________________
Period #:______

Conservation of Mass Lab

Background: The law of conservation of mass or principle of mass
conservation states that for any system closed to all transfers of matter and
energy, the mass of the system must remain the same over time. In a
system mass cannot change amount if it is not added or removed. Therefore, the
quantity of mass is "conserved" over time. This experiment will demonstrate this
law.
Objective:
1. Students will be able to observe and explain the Law of Conservation of Mass
in a closed system.
2. Students will be able to create and define a closed system.
3. Students will be able to conduct their own experiment to justify the Law of
conservation of Mass.
Materials:

1
1
1
1

beaker
container of baking soda
vial of vinegar
triple beam balance

Procedure:

1. Calibrate your triple beam balance. To calibrate your triple beam balance,
begin by taking off any items that may be sitting on the measurement tray.
Make sure that all of the riders are pointing to 0 (zero) on the rider beams.
Note where pointer is in relation to the zero mark. If the two lines are not
lined up, rotate your adjustment knob and allow the beam to stop moving

2.
3.

4.

5.

before adjusting the knob again. Continue to rotate the adjustment knob until
the pointer aligns with the zero mark while the beam is motionless.
Place the baking soda into the beaker
Measure the mass of the beaker of baking soda and vial of vinegar. To
measure mass on the triple beam balance, start by moving the 100 gram
rider to the right one notch at a time. If you have moved the rider to the next
notch and the pointer then rests on the bottom of the zero mark, then it has
gone too far. Return the rider one notch to the left and leave it there. Repeat
this process with the 10 gram rider, then the 1 gram rider until the pointer
points at the center of the zero mark when the beam is at rest.
To calculate the mass, look at where the 100g, 10g, and 1g riders are pointing
on the rider beam. Add up those amounts to get the total mass (in grams) of
your objects.
Write your data in the "Initial Mass" box on table below:
Initial Mass

Final Mass

Total Change in Mass

6. Take all of your items off the triple beam balance and reset the riders to zero
7. Carefully, pour the vinegar into the beaker of baking soda. Swirl the new
mixture until all of the baking soda has become saturated with vinegar.
8. Measure the mass of the new mixture along with the vial that held the
vinegar. Record the final mass of the two items in the Final Mass box on the
table above.
9. Calculate the change in mass (if any) by subtracting the Final Mass value
from the Initial Mass value. Record the data in the Total Change in Mass box
on the table above.
Questions:
1. Did this experiment support the Law of Conservation of Mass? Why or Why
not?

2. If the Law of Conservation of Mass is true, then where did the mass go?

3. How would you change the experiment to help support the Law of
Conservation of Mass?

!!SCIENCE TIME!!
I want you to design an experiment that helps support the Law of Conservation of
Mass. There is a supply of extra equipment and baking soda/vinegar that is at your
disposal, but be sure to ask Mr. Wyland for permission before using the items.
Include a bulleted materials list, numbered procedure section, and data table so
that other scientists may be able to replicate this experiment. You can use the
sections on the previous page as a guide to write your new experiment. Now, GO
MAKE SCIENCE!!
Materials:

Procedure:

Data Table: