Lab: The Thickness of Aluminum Foil
Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________ Class: ____
Lab Partner Name: ____________________________________ Lab Due Date: __________
Introduction:
In science, we make use of large numbers and small numbers much of the time. In
addition, we often use one set of measurements and a known property (such as density) to
indirectly measure other quantities.
In this lab, we are going to measure the thickness of a sheet of aluminum foil. It is very
difficult to accurately measure its thickness using a ruler, because the measurement is so small.
Instead, we will use a measured value (are), and one known property (density) to determine a
piece of foil thickness.
The volume of a regular solid is found by using the formula.
V=LxWxH
Volume = Length x Width x Height
How will you measure the volume of a piece of aluminum foil? By using a known value such as
density, you can find the volume. The density of an object is expressed in the equation:
Density = Mass / Volume
Materials:
5 Rectangular Pieces of Aluminum Foil
Centimeter Ruler
Centigram Electronic Balance
Pre Lab Questions:
(Must be completed before lab day)
Every number must be followed by its correct unit and use the correct number of significant
figures. Show All Work!
1. Find the volume of a block that has a the following dimensions:
L = 8.20 cm
W = 2.25 cm
H = 1.00 cm
2. If the density of copper is 8.96 g/ cm3 and the mass of a copper sample is 4.25 g.
What is the volume of this sample?
3. A rectangular piece of copper has a length of 2.50 cm and a width of 0.85 cm, and has a
volume of 0.474 cm3. What is its thickness?
Hypothesis: How many cm thick do you think a piece of aluminum foil will be?
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Procedure:
1. Obtain a baggie containing five rectangular pieces of aluminum foil.
Record the length, width, and mass of each piece in the data table below:
Primary Data Table
Aluminum Foil Piece
Length (cm)
Width (cm)
Mass (grams)
1
2
3
4
5
Calculations:
Calculate the area, thickness, and volume for each aluminum piece and fill the data table
below:
Secondary Data Table
Aluminum Foil Piece
1
2
3
4
5
Area (cm2)
Thickness (cm)
Volume (cm3)
Post Lab Questions:
#1) Compare your thickness values with those of other students. How are they similar?
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#2) How precise are your answers for density between the 5 pieces of Al foil (you may want to
look up the word precision in your textbook)?
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#3) If the balance you used only allowed one significant figure, how would this have affected
your results for the following and what would your final answer be? SHOW ALL WORK!
a) Area:
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Show work here:
b) Volume:
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Show work here:
c) Thickness:
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Show work here:
#4) Obtain graph paper and graph volume vs. area and attach to your lab report.
a) Calculate the slope of your graph below:
b) What are the units for the slope? _____________________
c) What is the thickness of your aluminum foil? Show work below:
d)Calculate your percent error, which shows how close you were to the true value of aluminum
foil. We’ll use the class average of aluminum foil thickness as our theoretical value.
% error = | your result - accepted value | x 100 %
accepted value
#5) Could this method be used to determine the thickness of an oil spill? What information
would be needed?
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#6) A very thin layer of gold plating was placed on a metal tray that measured 25.22 cm by 13.22
cm. The gold plating increased the mass of the plate by 0.0512 g. Calculate the thickness of the
plating. The density of gold is 19.32 g / cm3.