7.1.3. Weight Measurements

Try these first

1. 1.

   What is mass concentration?

   Hint

   Think about the formula involving mass and volume.

2. 2.

   Why is it important to know the detection limit?

   Hint

   Consider implications for very low levels of pollutants.

3. 3.

   What is the formula for concentration?

   • Mass / Volume
   • Volume / Mass
   • Mass x Volume

   Hint

   Recall the basic definition discussed earlier.

4. 4.

   Is the detection limit the lowest concentration that can be measured?

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Think about why knowing the detection limit is significant.

5. 5.

   A researcher measures suspended solids in a water sample and finds the concentration to be 2 mg/L. How much mass of suspended solids would be in a 10 L sample?

   Hint

   Use the concentration formula to calculate mass.

6. 6.

   If an instrument has a detection limit of 0.01 mg, how would one adjust sample volume to reliably detect a substance expected at 0.005 mg/L?

   Hint

   Recall the relationship between sample volume and detection limit.