Name: Alexa Bowden Date: 9/23/24 Period: 1A
Measure a Bean, Why?
Overview: The purpose of this lab is for you to become familiar with the names and uses of the
laboratory equipment. Two days are required to complete this experiment.
Day One Procedure:
1. Number 5 beans 1-5 with a pencil
2. Measure the length of and width of each bean with a ruler (use millimeters)
3. Use a beaker to fill a graduated cylinder to the 10 ml mark.
4. Add all five beans to the graduated cylinder. To determine the volume of the beans,
Read the water level then subtract the 10 ml you started with.
5. Dry your beans with a paper towel. And record the weight of each bean
6. Record the mass and volume of the beans on the data table (page 2)
7. Place the beans in a cup, write your name on it and fill it with 20 ml of water. (This will be stored overnight.)
Day One Questions:
1. Describe the difference between a beaker and a graduated cylinder.
Graduated cylinders are made for more accurate measurements while beakers are not.
2. A “unit” is a term that describes quantity. The unit of length measurements, for instance, is millimeters and
centimeters. What are the units for mass (weight) and for volume?
Mass: Grams (g) Volume: Milliliters (mL)
3. Describe the difference between mass and volume.
Mass is the amount of matter an object contains, while volume is how much space it takes up
4. Examine your ruler. How many millimeters are in a centimeter? 10mm
If a bean measured 2 cm, how many millimeters is it? 20mm
5. What tool is used to measure volume? Graduated Cylinder
6. If a beaker is filled with 200 ml of water and a goldfish is added, the water level rises to 240 ml. What is the
goldfish’s volume? 40ml
If a beaker is filled with 400 ml of water and a tennis ball is added, the water level rises to 620 ml. What is
the volume of the tennis ball? 220ml
Day 2 – Procedure
- Measure the amount of water left in the cup by carefully pouring the water into a graduated cylinder.
- Remove the beans from the water and record their length and widths on the data table.
- Record the volume and mass of the five beans.
7. Describe how the bean’s width and length change after soaking.
The bean’s length and width increased after soaking in the water. It increased by about
3mm each time.
8. Describe how the bean’s mass changed after soaking.
The bean’s mass increased after soaking in the water. It increased by about 0.4g each
time.
9. Describe how the bean’s volume changes after soaking.
The beans volume increased after the bean soaked in water. The volume of all 5 beans
increased by 2ml.
10. Explain why you observed these changes? (What happened to the beans?)
The beans grew when they were soaked in the water over night. The mass, width/length,
and the volume all increased.
Data Table
Day One Day Two
Width Length Width Length
Bean 1 6mm 13mm 10mm 16mm
Bean 2 6mm 13mm 9mm 15mm
Bean 3 6mm 12mm 8mm 15mm
Bean 4 6mm 12mm 8mm 16mm
Bean 5 7mm 13mm 9mm 18mm
Volume of Water
in Cup
20 ml 16ml
Volume of all 5
beans
2ml 4ml
Mass of all 5 Bean 1: 0.4g Bean 1: 0.8g
beans Bean 2: 0.4g Bean 2: 0.8g
Bean 3: 0.3g Bean 3: 0.6g
Bean 4: 0.4g Bean 4: 0.8g
Bean 5: 0.4g Bean 5: 1.0g
=1.9g = 3.8g
