Learning Library

# A Massive Or Weighty Problem

(6 ratings )

To determine whether mass and weight are the same or different?

• What is mass?
• What is weight?
• How is mass measured?
• How is weight measured?
• How mass and weight are related or are they?
• How do we define the word force?
• Would you weigh the same on the moon as you do on the earth?
• How do we use a balance?

In this project the student will become acquainted with basic information enabling him or her to differentiate between mass and weight. While weight and mass are related, they are not the same properties. Mass is a measure of how much matter an object contains. Weight, on the other hand is the measure of the force of gravity on an object. Mass is a property that an object has and does not depend on its location. The mass of an object or person is constant. Were we to take an object to the moon, its weight will depend on the force of gravity on the moon and therefore it would weigh less than it would on the earth, specifically I/6 the of its weight on planet Earth.The more mass two objects have, the greater the force of gravity the masses exert on each other. In short, greater mass results in greater force. To sum up, gravity is the force that objects exert on each other because of their masses.

This science fair experiment also serves to acquaint students with the essential processes of sciencing such as the importance of the use of a control, of identifying dependent and independent variables, of data collection, of pictorial and or graphic presentation of data and of being able to make better judgments as to the validity and reliability of their findings.They take on the role of scientists and in the process they learn to act as one.

• Bag of popcorn
• Banana
• Stone
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Magic marker
• Sponge
• Balloon filled with air
• Balance

1. Gather all the materials you will need for this project which include a bag of pop corn, a banana, a stone, a stapler, a pair of scissors, a magic marker, a sponge, aballoon filled with air, a dollar bill and a quarter. and a balance borrowed from the school`s science closet .You may wish to include a camera and take photos of the procedure and the results to use in your display as well as in your final report.
2. Copy the data charts provided below, making two copies of each.
3. Select a partner who without seeing your results, will work after you have completed steps 4 through 7and repeat those steps and record his or her data on separate charts.
4. Now you will start by selecting each of the sample objects, using just your sense of holding each one, take a guess and estimate each ones weight by arranging them in order of the heaviest first and on to the last one being the lightest.
5. Record your sequence or you may want to number them, number 10 being the heaviest and so on.
6. Now let`s be scientific. Use the balance and weigh each one and record the weights on your data chart.
7. Check your results! How well did you estimate the weight of each of the objects?Did any of the objects used have the same weight? Where did you miscalculate?Was size a key factor in tricking you? What did you consider when you were estimating the weight?
8. Now dismantle what you have done and let your partner go through steps 4 through 7.
9. Compare your results with those of your partner. Did you both make the same errors? On what basis did you both go right, go wrong?
10. Review the data. What do you conclude? Write up the project. Include all of the data and the research you conducted as well as the bibliography.

See Data Charts Below.

Data Charts on Estimated Sequences: From Heaviest to Lightest

 My Sequence My Partner`s Sequence

Data Charts on Actual Measurements Using the Balance:

 Objects Actual Weights bag of pop corn banana Stone scissors magic marker sponge filled balloon stapler dollar bill aquarter

Terms/Concepts: mass; weight; gravity; force; property; constant

References:

• DiSpezio M, Coone, T, Science, ScottForesman, Pearson Publishing 2003

Disclaimer and Safety Precautions

Education.com provides the Science Fair Project Ideas for informational purposes only. Education.com does not make any guarantee or representation regarding the Science Fair Project Ideas and is not responsible or liable for any loss or damage, directly or indirectly, caused by your use of such information. By accessing the Science Fair Project Ideas, you waive and renounce any claims against Education.com that arise thereof. In addition, your access to Education.com's website and Science Fair Project Ideas is covered by Education.com's Privacy Policy and site Terms of Use, which include limitations on Education.com's liability.

Warning is hereby given that not all Project Ideas are appropriate for all individuals or in all circumstances. Implementation of any Science Project Idea should be undertaken only in appropriate settings and with appropriate parental or other supervision. Reading and following the safety precautions of all materials used in a project is the sole responsibility of each individual. For further information, consult your state's handbook of Science Safety.

Create new collection

0

### New Collection>

0 items

What could we do to improve Education.com?
{"found_math": false, "script_math_tex": 0, "script_math_asciimath": 0, "math_annotations": 0, "math_alttext": 0, "mathml": 0, "mathjax_tag": 0, "mathjax_inline_tex": 0, "mathjax_display_tex": 0, "mathjax_asciimath": 0, "img_math": 0, "codecogs_latex": 0, "wp_latex": 0, "mimetex.cgi": 0, "/images/math/codecogs": 0, "mathtex.cgi": 0, "katex": 0, "math-container": 0, "wp-katex-eq": 0, "align": 0, "equation": 0, "x-ck12": 0, "texerror": 0, "url": "https://www.education.com/science-fair/article/mass-vs-weight/", "fetch_time": 1571095376000000000, "content_mime_type": "text/html", "warc_filename": "crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986655554.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20191014223147-20191015010647-00256.warc.gz", "warc_record_offset": 891028667, "warc_record_length": 44558, "token_count": 1106, "char_count": 5281, "score": 3.96875, "int_score": 4, "crawl": "CC-MAIN-2019-43", "snapshot_type": "longest", "language": "en", "language_score": 0.95701003074646, "file_path": "/sailhome/yjruan/project/latent-lm/data/processed/finemath-4plus/finemath-4plus/train-00017-of-00064.parquet"}