Activity 5: Investigating Mass Gain and Mass Loss

Conservation of Mass (Except in nuclear reactions) the total mass of of the materials (solids, liquids, and gases) involved in any change in matter stays the same. MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Tracing Matter Process Tool MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Wetting a Sponge 30 20 What is your prediction of the mass of the wet sponge? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Wetting Vermiculite 40 30 What is your prediction of the mass of the wet Vermiculite? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Wetting a Sponge Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass 50 30 20 MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Wetting Vermiculite Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass 70 40 30 Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Your Predictions and Measurements When you measured the mass of the wet sponge and Vermiculite, how accurate were your predictions? Do you think conservation of mass applies to wetting the sponge and Vermiculite? Did the sponge and Vermiculite gain mass when you added water? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Drying a Sponge What is your prediction of the mass of the dry sponge? 50 What is your prediction of the mass of the dry sponge? What happened to the mass of the water? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Drying Vermiculite 70 What is your prediction of the mass of the dry Vermiculite? What happened to the mass of the water? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Drying a Sponge Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass 30 50 20 MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Drying Vermiculite Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass 40 70 30 Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Your Predictions and Measurements When you measured the dry mass of the sponge and Vermiculite, how accurate were your predictions? Do you think conservation of mass applies to drying the sponge and Vermiculite? Did the sponge and Vermiculite lose mass when you dried them out? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Watering Your Plants 150 10 What is your prediction of the mass of the cup, soil, and plants after watering? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Watering Your Plants Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass 160 150 10 Prediction that follows Conservation of Mass MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment

Final Discussion Questions Look back at the questions you answered before starting this activity. Do you now have different answers to any of the questions? Do you think that conservation of mass applied to all the changes that you measured? Why were the masses you measured before and after sometimes different? You can see that the measured mass of something can vary a lot depending on how much water is in the system. How could we tell whether plants are gaining dry mass (not just water) when they grow? MSP Carbon Teaching Experiment