Domenic Narducci 9/18/13 Golf Ball Inquiry Lab Write-Up Problem: What is the minimum amount of salt needed

to make a golf ball float? Hypothesis: If salt is added to water, then the resulting density of the water must be at least 1.6 g/ml in order for the golf ball to float. Materials: 1. Balance 2. Golf ball 3. NaCl 4. Water 5. Graduated Cylinder 6. Scoop 7. Tray 8. Stirrer 9. Beaker 10. Calculator 11. Pipet 12. Tongs Procedure: 1. Find the mass of the golf ball using a triple beam balance. 2. Use displacement to find the volume of the golf ball in ml. 3. Convert the volume of the golf ball from ml to cm3 4. Divide the mass of the golf ball by the volume of the golf ball to find the density of the golf ball in g/cm3. Record. 5. Measure 200 ml of water in a graduated cylinder. 6. Use the formula 1ml of water = 1 g of water to find both the volume and the mass of the water. Record both. 7. Put the 200 ml of water into a beaker. 8. Place the golf ball into the water ensuring that none of the water splashes out. 9. Measure the mass of a tray and then measure out 5 grams of salt on the tray. 10. Add 5 grams of salt to the water. Stir until the salt dissolves completely. Repeat until the golf ball floats. 11. Record the total number of additions necessary to make the golf ball float. Multiply this number by 5 to find the total mass of the salt added. 12. Remove the golf ball from the water using tongs. 13. Pour the saltwater in the graduated cylinder to find the new volume. Record. 14. Add the mass of the water to the mass of the salt to find the mass of the saltwater. Record. 15. Divide the mass of the saltwater by the volume of the saltwater to get the density of the saltwater in g/ml. Convert to g/cm3. Record results in table.

Results: Density of Saltwater (g/cm3) 1.25 g/cm3

Density of Golf Ball (g/cm3) Volume of Golf Ball (cm3) 1.02 g/cm3 45 cm3

Conclusion: Independent Variable: The density of the saltwater. Dependent Variable: Whether or not the golf ball floats. Control Setup: The original beaker with no salt added. Constants: Density of golf ball, amount of water in beaker, amount of salt added each time, the beaker in which the experiment takes place, the temperature of the water. Hypothesis Supported: The hypothesis wasnt supported by the data because the water needed to have a density of greater than 1.25 g/cm3 as opposed to the 1.6 g/cm3 in the hypothesis. Density of the Golf Ball: To find the density of the golf ball we found the mass of the golf ball by using a triple beam balance and then used displacement to find the volume. We then divided the mass by the volume to find the density. Do the Answers Make Sense: No, the density of the golf ball is close to the density of the water so the density of the water shouldnt require an increase in density by much for the golf ball to float. Percent Error: 23% error. Differences From Classmates: We all needed to add about 25 grams of water to make the golf ball float, but we had different densities because the water evaporated when we left it out. How Could Precision be Improved: We could use a more precise graduated cylinder to measure out more exact amounts of water, and we could ensure that all the salt is completely dissolved by waiting longer. Sources of Error: 1. The water was left out over the course of two days without something on top of it to prevent the water from evaporating. The volume of the water decreased affecting the final density. 2. The salt was not completely dissolved after each addition of salt. To ensure that, we would have to stir for a longer amount of time. Therefore, we dont know for sure the necessary amount of salt added.