Precision Milligram Laboratory Balance for AP Chemistry Courses

School:: Fernandina Beach High
Subject:: Science
Teacher:: John Davis
Students Impacted:
Grade:: 9-12
Date:: March 14, 2017

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Nassau Education Foundation - $497.00

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 24

The milligram balances have been essential to offering college-level labs for the AP Chemistry course. The accuracy and precision of these instruments has allowed students to precisely measure reagents and achieve results with very low experimental error due to weighing. In a recent lab, students were graded on their ability to prepare a chemical solution to an exact specification. All six lab groups had experimental errors measured at <10%, with two groups having errors within 3%. This type of lab experience is impossible to offer without equipment such as this!!

Original Grant Overview

Goal

The objective of advanced science classes is to prepare students for college-level courses, or in the case of AP courses, to actually obtain college credit. Previous grants have allowed for the purchase of two of these balances, and these have been invaluable additions to the laboratory for this first year of offering AP Chemistry. The additional precision balance requested will allow for chemistry students to work more efficiently in the limited time available for labs. Continued acquisition of apparatus such as this will be required for having an effective AP chemistry course at this high school.

What will be done with my students

Purchase of this equipment is an essential part of continuing to offer an AP chemistry course in the coming years. Students in this course utilize this instrument in about a third of the labs that are offered. This instrument will be used by chemistry students for quantitative chemical analysis and preparation. For example, students will be able to determine analyte concentrations in unknown samples by precipitating the analyte, filtering and drying the precipitate, precisely weighing the product, and calculating a result. In addition to practicing quantitative analysis, students will also be able to practice laboratory technique by precisely preparing solutions, which can be used in experiments or assessed for accuracy by the instructor.

Benefits to my students

Students will benefit from access to this instrument in several ways. These include:
1. Stronger connections to the concepts learned in the classroom.
2. Exposure to a wider and deeper variety of chemistry experiments.
3. Responsibility of carefully using a precision instrument.
4. Experience comparable to working in a state-of-the-art college or industrial laboratory.
5. Opportunity to obtain college credit for chemistry while in high school.
6. The availability of multiple balances will allow for better use of available lab time by reducing the student-to-instrument ratio.

Budget Narrative

On-line price provided from www.summitmeasurement.net. Instrument comes with a certified calibration weight and features a robust one-button calibration system well-suited for student use. The two identical balances previously acquired have performed perfectly!!

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Intell-Lab PM-300 Toploading Milligram Balance	$497.00
	Total:	$497.00

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