Mass of U.S. Pennies

Students create and interpret a histogram of penny masses.

Students will represent data through histograms for analysis and interpretation. Students will use an electronic balance to determine the mass of many, many U.S. pennies (a one-cent coin) of varying ages. The metallic composition of the penny has changed over the years. Different compositions can have significantly different masses. A sufficiently random selection of hundreds of pennies should allow the students to discover the years in which the composition changed.

Materials
File Upload: 
Attributes
Class Time: 
1.5 hours
Data Strand: 
Cosmic Ray
LHC
Level: 
Level 0

Curriculum Topics

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Practices: 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Technology Requirements : 
Spreadsheet