Name(s): Rashawn, Jake and Zach, Maybe Steve

Lab 15
THE INERTIA BALANCE

Lab Group: A2-E

Inertia is the inherent property of matter that resists any change in its current state of motion. An inertia balance is used to determine the mass of an object by comparing its inertia to the inertia of an object of known mass. If we use an inertia balance as in the figure below, we observe that when the pan is displaced to one side and released, it vibrates at some constant frequency. For moderate displacements, this frequency, (f), is independent of the amplitude, (A), or size of the vibration. We can also observe that if we place a weight in the pan at A, the frequency of vibration is less. Further experimentation will show that the greater the mass at point A, the lower the frequency of vibration. From a graph of the data, Period, T (seconds) vs. Mass, m (grams), one can determine an unknown mass simply by determining its Period or frequency of vibration. This measure of mass is impressive because it is the inertia of the objects attached to the steel balance which determines the frequency of vibration, and we are using the equivalence of mass and inertia to determine the mass of the unknown, rather than being dependent upon gravitational forces.

A READ THE WHOLE LAB FIRST! OBJECT: To determine the mass of a sample without the aid of gravity by comparing the inertial property of the unknown mass with standard known masses. MATERIALS: Inertia Balance, C-Clamp, plastic insert, string, wooden splint, assorted masses, digital scale, photogate, Vernier LoggerPro, unknown mass (cylinder), pole stands, masking tape (2 pcs: 1 pc ~ 10 cm, and 1 pc ~ 16-18 cm), plus some additional tape. 85805256.docx 1

EXPERIMENT A: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Position Inertia Balance assembly so that the balance pan with hole hangs over the edge of the lab table. Secure with a C-clamp. See figure on previous page. Push the balance pan to one side and release. The balance pan should oscillate back and forth horizontally and smoothly. Set up a photogate clamped to an extension arm from the lab pole. Attach the wood splint with tape, flat in the corner of the pan. Open up LoggerPro on your computer. Open the file Physics with Computers, and select #14-Pendulum Periods. Practice setting the Inertia Balance in motion. Pull the balance pan inside the photogate, click COLLECT, then release the pan. Let the pan oscillate in and out of the photogate 4-8 times then push STOP. The computer will record every other pass so only one period of vibration will be counted. Select STAT from the icon list and record the mean value for each mass. To secure the masses in the pan, use the 10 cm piece around the base and the 16-18 cm piece over the top. Only lightly secure one end of the longer piece so it can be pulled back and refastened as the height of the masses increase. Once the set up is ready, run the first trial with no added mass. This will establish the baseline for your data a zero point, if you will. Place a 50 g mass in the pan, secure with the masking tape, and set the pan in motion, recording the data. Continue adding mass in 50 g increments for a total of 11 trials (ending at 500 g). CAUTION: The pan may be damaged if you pull too hard at the higher masses. Be consistent throughout the trials. Use the data collected to make a graph of Period vs. Mass in Logger Pro, with mass the independent variable. Copy and paste the graph below the data table in the space provided.

6.

7. 8. 9.

10.

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Table
Mass, m
(gm)

0
0.164

50
0.211

100
0.252

150
.282

200
.310

250
.339

300
.365

350
.390

400
.410

450
.444

500
.460

UNK
A .363 B .354

Period, T
(s)

Period, T vs. Mass, m .

10.

Remove the masses from the pan (leave the splint taped along the side). 85805256.docx 3

11. 12. 13.

Place the plastic insert (straw) into the center hole of the unknown mass. Place the cylinder into the hole in the inertia balance pan. Follow the procedure established in Step # 5 and then record the Period in the table under the mass block, UNK, in the block with the a. Use drawing tools to run a line from the y-axis to the best fit line on the graph. At the point of intersection, drop a line perpendicular to the x-axis. This point on the x-axis is your experimental determination of the unknown mass.

EXPERIMENT B: Return to your inertia balance set-up as done in Experiment A. Assemble another crossbar or use a ring stand to construct an overhead support. Suspend the unknown cylinder from this overhead support, so that it hangs freely within the hole of the balance pan. 4. Use the same method you used in Experiment A, Step # 5, to determine the period of the unknown mass. Record this value in the table under the mass block UNK in the block with the b. Follow Step # 13 from Experiment A to determine the unknown mass. 5. Before leaving the lab, make sure you have carefully disassembled the overhead support and put the masses in order. The Inertia Balance and photogate can be left standing for the next class. INTERPRETATIONS: 1. What is the mass of the unknown using your results from Experiment A? 363g 2. What is the mass of the unknown using your results from Experiment B? 354g 3. Compare the results for the unknown mass in parts A & B. Determine the mass of your unknown cylinder on the digital scale. Compare the results in parts A & B to the actual mass. Include your calculation and a discussion of % error. 299g. Part a had a percent error of 21.4 % and part B had a percent error of 18.3 % . Each part was calculated using the formula (Experimental Theoretical)/Theoretical x 100%. The percent error was higher for part A and therefore less accurate than part B. 4. What is significant about the method in Experiment B? 85805256.docx 4 1. 2. 3.

It is a pendulum 5. Compare and contrast Inertia and Mass. Inertia and Mass are directionally proportional, as one increases the other does as well. 6. Would this technique for measuring mass work in space? Explain your answer. No, the gravity in space is not efficient enough to slow the pendulum down 7. Suggest and discuss one idea that would improve this experiment. Use a different material of string, possibly to better the answers.

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