Students can use this worksheet to practice reading the riders on a triple beam balance to determine the mass of an object in grams.

Let's solve each of the triple beam balance problems step by step. A triple beam balance has three beams, each with a sliding weight (rider) that measures mass in grams:

1. The largest beam (top) measures in 100-gram increments.
2. The middle beam measures in 10-gram increments.
3. The bottom beam (with a finer scale) measures in 1-gram increments, and often includes a 0.1 gram precision if there’s a decimal scale.

We add the values from all three beams to get the total mass.

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Problem 1

- Top beam: Rider at 200 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 50 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 3.0 g

Total = 200 + 50 + 3 = 253 g

✔ Answer: 253 g

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Problem 2

- Top beam: Rider at 500 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 40 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 7.0 g

Total = 500 + 40 + 7 = 547 g

✔ Answer: 547 g

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Problem 3

- Top beam: Rider at 300 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 30 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 6.0 g

Total = 300 + 30 + 6 = 336 g

✔ Answer: 336 g

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Problem 4

- Top beam: Rider at 200 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 10 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 2.0 g

Total = 200 + 10 + 2 = 212 g

✔ Answer: 212 g

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Problem 5

- Top beam: Rider at 100 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 20 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 2.0 g

Total = 100 + 20 + 2 = 122 g

✔ Answer: 122 g

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Problem 6

- Top beam: Rider at 500 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 10 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 6.0 g

Total = 500 + 10 + 6 = 516 g

✔ Answer: 516 g

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Problem 7

- Top beam: Rider at 300 g
- Middle beam: Rider at 50 g
- Bottom beam: Rider at 5.7 g (since it's between 5 and 6, and the mark is at 7 small divisions after 5 — each division is 0.1 g)

Total = 300 + 50 + 5.7 = 355.7 g

✔ Answer: 355.7 g

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Problem 8

Now convert the mass from Problem 7 into milligrams (mg).

We know:
> 1 gram = 1000 milligrams

So:
> 355.7 g = 355.7 × 1000 = 355,700 mg

✔ Answer: 355,700 mg

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✔ Final Answers:

1. 253 g
2. 547 g
3. 336 g
4. 212 g
5. 122 g
6. 516 g
7. 355.7 g
8. 355,700 mg

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Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable answer sheet!