Last Project we found out we could balance a heavy object with a light one by moving a lever over the fulcrum. Can we do this to mass a coin?
Question: Can a lever be used to mass a coin?
Materials:
Piece of thin cardboard 3 cm x 28 cm
Dime
Balance
Metric ruler
Table
Procedure:
Mark a line 2 cm from one edge of the cardboard piece
Label the line R
The real purpose of the R line is to mark one end of the lever to tell the ends apart. It marks a good place to set the coin.
Place the cardboard piece on the edge of the table
Slide the piece over the edge of the table until it balances on the edge
As the cardboard lever moves out over the edge of the table, the end begins to rise. Take care it does not rise too far or the lever will slip to the floor.
Mark this point and draw a line across it
Label the line E
Measure the distance from line R to line E to the nearest mm
Mass the cardboard piece
Remember that a lever balances when the mass is equal on each side of the fulcrum.
Set the cardboard piece on the edge of the table
Set the dime centered on the line labeled R
Slide the cardboard piece over the edge until it balances on the edge
Mark this point and draw a line across it
Label this line 1
Measure the distance from the R side of the cardboard to line 1 in to the nearest mm
Mass the dime
Observations:
Mass of:
Cardboard:
Dime:
Distance:
R to E line:
Line 1:
Analysis:
Divide the line R distance by the line 1 distance for a mechanical advantage for the dime
Line 1 is where the lever balances with a dime on the R line. Go a millimeter too far and the dime slides down flipping the lever onto the floor.
Multiply this mechanical advantage by the mass of the cardboard to get a mass for the dime
Conclusions:
How important is balancing the cardboard to mass a coin?
How important is it to measure accurately?
Compare your calculated dime mass to your scale obtained mass.
Where is the fulcrum for your lever in this Project?
A lever has two arms. What were the two arms for the lever in this Project?
Do you think a lever is a good way to mass a coin? why do you think this?
What I Found Out:
Balancing a piece of cardboard on the edge of a table is harder than it sounds. I slid the cardboard piece out until it seemed balanced. When I moved toward my camera, it slid onto the floor. I started over again.
Since the distances are being measured to the millimeter and one of these is small, It’s important to get as close to the final balancing point as possible. Any breeze makes this impossible.
I used a regular ruler with centimeters and millimeters on one side and inches on the other. It helps that the 0 line for the centimeters is not on the edge of the ruler. This makes it easier to get an accurate starting place. If the 0 line was the edge of the ruler, I would have started on the 1 cm line and deducted the 1 from the reading. one reading did come out between two millimeter lines. I used the closest line for the distance.
It takes care to keep the lever perpendicular to the table edge. You have to tap it lightly in the center, not on a corner to move it slightly until it balances.
I again had the lever slide to the floor with the dime on it. When I balanced the lever, the line R distance was 9.5 cm and the line 1 distance was 18.5 cm. The mechanical advantage was 0.51. Multiplying this by 3.5 g gave a coin mass of 1.9 g for the dime. My dime had a mass of 2.3 g on the scale. The two masses were close.
The edge of the table was the fulcrum. The R line marked one arm of the lever. The E line marked the other arm of the lever.
I don’t think this is a very good way to mass a coin. Finding the true balancing point is difficult. A regular ruler is not very accurate for measuring. There are too many places where errors can creep in.