Lab 1 – Determination of the relationship between the surface area of a piece of

paper and the diameter of a ball made with it

Objective
To learn how to collect data, calculate averages and estimate errors (random and systematic), make
graphs, interpret results, assess and evaluate the method.

Research and lab skills:

• Identify the variables in an investigation
• Write out a method for an investigation
• Draw a table of results
• Draw a scatter graph
• Draw a line of best fit / trend line
• Identify the trend of a data set.
• Use MS Excel for data processing

Procedure
1. Take two sheets of A4 paper.
2. You’re going to fold one of the A4 sheets 5 times, so that you get 5 sheets of progressively
smaller size (see image below). You’ll have 6 sheets of paper at the end, from A4 to A9.

3. Measure each sheet of paper and work out its surface area.
4. Make a paper ball out of each sheet of paper and measure its diameter with the caliper a
minimum of 5 times.
5. Record all data in a suitable table, surface area and diameter of the ball.
6. You’ll have 5 measurements for all of the 6 paperballs. You will have 5 measurements for each
paper ball (i.e. 5 measurements times 6 paper balls, you will get 30 data for the diameter and 6
data for surface area)
7. Calculate the average diameter for each paper ball
8. Plot your results in the form of a scatter graph with a line of best fit.

1
Conclusion
• Describe any correlation present in your graph.
• Explain what this correlation means about your investigation.

Evaluation

• Go through each step of the procedure in this experiment and consider if there are any
possible errors associated with it. (Read the sections on measurements in Unit 1 on the science
website and try to use key terms related to error – systematic, parallax and random)
• List a minimum of 3 improvements that could be made to improve the accuracy of this
investigation.

Error sources Improvements