The Colorimeter Probe

And integrated math and science approach.

Rachel, Melissa, Kerrie, Nathan, Matt, & Beth

Absorbance and Concentration• Beer’s Law states that there is a

linear relationship between the concentration of a solution and its absorbance.

• A = epsilon * b * C, b = width of cuvette

Our Experiment

• We used different amounts of food coloring in water and measured each solution’s absorbance using the colorimeter.

• The following slide is the somewhat linear graph we got from our experiment. It’s not exact because of experimental error.

The Math of It

• Students will discover whether or not this graph is linear, why it is linear, and how it relates to Beer’s Law and the equation y = mx + b.

• We could also find the line of best fit and discuss how to find that on a given graph.

• This is most appropriate for an Algebra II class.

Science!

• Students will make the different concentrations of solutions for their samples (in moles/liter). This gives them practice in making solutions.

• This would best fit in an intro. or upper level chemistry class.

Math, Science, and Inquiry

• We would encourage students to inquire about other data they could collect, such as using different colors.

• The students could be asked to explore more options that they come up with on their own.