Measuring Physical Properties Lab Report

Instructions: In the Physical Properties lab, you will test the physical properties of different building materials
in order to pick the appropriate materials for a new home in Tiny World. Record your observations and test
measurements in the lab report below. You will submit your completed report.

Name and Title:-

Student Name : Rajvir V Ramdas

Instructor’s Name : Iram Malik

Name of Lab: Measuring Physical Properties Lab

Objective(s):

In your own words, what was the purpose of this lab?

The purpose of this lab, is to test the physical properties of different building materials, in order to choose
the right materials and metals, for building a new home in Tiny World.

Hypothesis:

In this section, include the if/then statements you developed during your lab activity. These statements
reflect your predicted outcomes for the experiment.

● If we use Wood to build the roof of the house, then the temperature inside the house will
remain cooler.
● If we use Clay to build the walls and floors of the house, then the temperature inside the house
will remain cooler.
● If we use Copper to bring electricity into the home, then it will allow electricity to flow into the
home at a faster rate.
● If we use Iron to construct the latches on the windows and doors, then the magnetism will keep
the latches secure.
Procedure:

The materials and procedures are listed in your virtual lab. You do not need to repeat them here.
However, you should note if you experienced any errors or other factors that might affect your outcome.

Using the summary questions, clearly define the dependent and independent variables of the
experiment.

● First, I investigated the planet, Tiny World, their people, the Tinyians, and their preferred climatic
conditions.

● Second, I tested different types of building materials, in order to build a home, in the mountains,
for tiny resident Parvus.

● Lastly, I answered the summary questions, after the experiment. In the summary questions, I
identified the dependent and independent variable of the experiment. The independent variable
is the “type of material being tested”, because it is the factor, which varies during the
experiment, thus it is the independent variable of the experiment. Also, the dependent variable
(outcome variable) is the “result of each test completed”, because the outcome variable depend
on the independent variable tested.

Data:
Record the results of each of your physical property tests in the table below.

Wood Clay Brick Iron Aluminum Copper Nickel

Flexibility 3/10 2/10 4/10 7/10 6/10 5/10

(?/10)

Magnetism 0 1 10 0 0 7

(number of paper
clips)

Thermal 0.12 W/(m·K) 0.6 W/(m·K) 80 W/(m·K) 235 W/(m·K) 400 W/(m·K) 91 W/(m·K)
Conductivity

(W/(m·K))

Electrical 0 S/m 0 S/m 1x107 S/m 3.8x107 S/m 5.9x10^7 S/m 1.4x10^7 S/m
Conductivity

(x107 S/m)

Density 0.64g/cm^3 2.035g/cm^3 7.51g/cm^3 2.962g/cm^3 8.638g/cm^3 8.396g/cm^3

(g/cm3)

Conclusion:
 Your conclusion will include a summary of the lab results and an interpretation of the results. Please
answer all questions in complete sentences using your own words.

1. Using two to three sentences, summarize what you investigated and observed in this lab.

Firstly, I investigated the planet, Tiny World, their people, the Tinyians, and I learnt that the Tinyians
prefer to keep cool during the day, because the temperatures in Tiny World are much hotter than on
Earth.

Secondly, I tested different materials for flexibility, magnetism, thermal conductivity, electrical
conductivity and density, in order to build a home, in the mountains, for tiny resident Parvus.

Lastly, I answered some questions about the variables, such as the “test variable”, “outcome variable”,
“control group”, and general knowledge of the building materials.

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2. What building material did you use to build your house? Did your results support or fail to support
your hypotheses?

My first hypotheses is “If we use Wood to build the roof of the house, then the temperature inside the
house will remain cooler”. Hence, when I conducted the thermal conductivity test for the building
materials, I discovered that wood’s amount of thermal conductivity is 0.12 W/(m·K), which is a very less
amount of thermal conductivity, thus it will absorb less heat, compared to other materials, and will keep
the house cool. Therefore, my result supports my first hypotheses.

My second hypothesis is “If we use Clay to build the walls and floors of the house, then the temperature
inside the house will remain cooler”. Hence, when I conducted the thermal conductivity test for the
building materials, I discovered that clay’s amount of thermal conductivity is 0.6 W/(m·K), which is a
very less amount of thermal conductivity, thus it will absorb less heat, like wood, and will keep the
house cool. Therefore, my result supports my second hypotheses.
 My third hypotheses is “If we use Copper to bring electricity into the home, then it will allow electricity to
flow into the home at a faster rate”. Hence, when I conducted the electrical conductivity test for the
building materials, I discovered that Copper’s amount of electrical conductivity is 5.9 * 10^7 (S/m),
which is a very high amount of electrical conductivity, and will allow electricity to flow into the home at
a faster rate, compared to any of the other materials. Therefore, my result supports my third
hypotheses.

My fourth hypotheses is “If we use Iron to construct the latches on the windows and doors, then the
magnetism will keep the latches secure”. Hence, when I conducted the magnetism test for the building
materials, I discovered that Iron’s magnetism strength is more powerful than the other materials,
because it managed to attract all 10 paperclips. Thus, it’s magnetism will keep the latches secure, than
the other materials. Therefore, my result supports my fourth hypotheses as well.

In conclusion, my results from the data table, support all four of my hypotheses’.

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3. What were the densities of the materials you chose for the walls and floor for the home in Tiny
World? Why do you think a building material's density is important when building homes or architectural
structures?

I chose clay brick, for building the walls and floor for the home in Tiny World. Also, clay brick’s density is
2.035g/cm^3.
 A building material’s density is an essential factor of construction, which influences an architectural
structure’s final outcome. For example, Concrete is a common building material used for the
construction of a building or a house. And, the properties of concrete are highly influenced by its density.
Hence, a denser concrete provides more strength and durability to a building, and avoids any kind of
voids (unfilled spaces in a wall/building). Therefore, this is why I think a building material's density is
important when building homes or architectural structures.

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4. Why wouldn’t you choose wood or aluminum for the latches on your house?

I would not consider on choosing wood or aluminum for constructing the latches, because;

● In the “magnetism test”, I discovered that wood or aluminum were unable to attract even 1
paperclip out of 10, because they don’t have any magnetic properties. Thus, latches made from
both of these materials, would not keep the house secure.

Therefore, this is why I would not choose wood or aluminum for building the latches, of the house.

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5. Which material has the highest thermal conductivity? Which material has the highest electrical
conductivity? Explain why thermal and electrical conductivity is so high with this material.

The material possessing the highest thermal conductivity is Copper, having around [400 W/(m·K)].
Copper also has the highest electrical conductivity, having around (5.9 x 10^7 S/m).

In conclusion, Copper is consisting of positive copper ions with free electrons moving between them,
these electrons can move freely throughout the solid and transfers the thermal and electrical energy at a
faster rate, compared to other metals. Therefore, this is why Copper is a great conductor of heat and
electricity compared to other metals, such as Aluminum.

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6. Think about where you live now or where you have lived in the past; use complete sentences to
describe this environment and the weather. What building materials do you believe would work well to
build a home in that area? Explain why you chose these materials.
I currently live in Chennai, India. Chennai features a tropical dry and wet climate. Chennai lies in the
equatorial line, and is a coastal region. Hence, most of the year, the climate is hot and humid. The
hottest part of the year is late May and early June, with maximum temperatures around 39-43 °C
(102-109 °F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19-21 °C
(66-70 °F).
I suggest that using clay brick and wood, to construct the walls, floor and roof of the house, will work
well in Chennai. Because, Chennai’s climate is mostly hot and humid throughout the year. And, clay
bricks and wood have very less amount of thermal conductivity, around 0.6 W/(m·K) and 0.12 W/(m·K),
respectively. Hence, it will keep the house cooler during the day. Therefore, I sincerely believe that using
clay bricks and wood, is the best choice when building a home in Chennai.