How do you i weigh a substance properly on a balance?
Step #1: First, you must tare the balance. That means setting the mass to zero when there is nothing on it. A digital scale will have a button marked "tare" and you just push it, but on a triple beam balance, you must do some find adjustments to get the indicator to float in the middle.Step #2: Then weigh the mass of the container(empty) of the chemical sample. For a digital balance, just put the container on the balance and read the number on the display. For a triple you need to move the weights along the bars until the indicator is floating in the middle of the marks (just as you did to tare it). If not using a container, you should always use a dish or weighing paper, and you should weight that first also. Mark down this answer as you will need it later!Step #3: Then add your sample to this container or the weighing paper. Repeat just as above and determine the total mass of your sample plus the container.Step #4: Finally, simply subtract the weight you got in step #3 from the one in step #2. This will give you the weight of the sample alone without the container.