Question

when obtaining the mass of a solid substance using a balance you should ____.

• subtract the mass of the tare paper from the total mass of the substance plus tare paper.
• neglect the mass of the tare paper and record the value on the balance
• tare paper is not used when measuring the mass of a solid
• record the value from the balance as it automatically accounts for the mass of the tare paper

your answer is incorrect.

Explanation:

To determine the correct method for measuring the mass of a solid, we analyze each option:

• Option "subtract the mass of the tare paper from the total mass of the substance plus tare paper": This is the correct approach. When using a balance, if the solid is placed on tare paper, the total mass (solid + tare paper) is measured first. Then, the mass of the tare paper is subtracted to get the mass of the solid.
• Option "neglect the mass of the tare paper and record the value on the balance": This is incorrect because the tare paper's mass would be included in the recorded value, leading to an inaccurate mass of the solid.
• Option "tare paper is not used when measuring the mass of a solid": Tare paper is often used to hold the solid (especially if it's powdery or small), so this is incorrect.
• Option "record the value from the balance as it automatically accounts for the mass of the tare paper": Balances don't automatically account for tare paper mass unless the tare function is used (which involves subtracting the tare paper's mass). Just recording the balance value without considering the tare paper's mass is incorrect.

Answer:

A. subtract the mass of the tare paper from the total mass of the substance plus tare paper