Temperature and Pipetting Accuracy
Temperature measurements are essential in chemistry labs! In this part, you'll measure both freezing and boiling points of water using a thermometer. The experiment reveals how close your thermometer readings are to the true values.
Water should freeze at 0°C and boil at 100°C at standard pressure, but your results might show slight differences. That's because the boiling point changes with atmospheric pressure - this is why the lab includes a calculation to determine the true boiling point based on current conditions.
The final experiment tests the accuracy of a pipet, a precision tool used to measure small liquid volumes. By weighing water delivered by a 10 mL pipet and using the density formula (D=M/V), you can determine the actual volume your pipet delivers.
You'll perform three trials to calculate an average volume and its deviation. This reveals how reliable and consistent your pipetting technique is - a critical skill for any lab scientist!
Remember: The goal isn't perfect measurements (which are impossible), but understanding the limits of precision for each tool and minimizing human error!