Determining the Thickness of Aluminum Foil
Many products such as aluminum foil are too thin to measure easily. However, it is important for manufacturers to know how thick they are. They wouldn't be useful if they were made too thick or too thin. In this lab, you will use the same method that manufacturers use to determine the thickness of aluminum foil.
Problem How can you determine the thickness of aluminum foil?
Materials
metric ruler
aluminum foil
scissors
balance
graph paper
Skills Measuring, Calculating, Using Graphs
Procedure
On a separate sheet of paper, make a copy of the data table shown. Include the information below the data table.
Cut out three squares of aluminum foil with sides of the following lengths: 50 mm, 100 mm, and 200 mm.
To determine the area of the 50-mm foil square, measure the length of one of its sides and then square it. Record the length and area in your data table.