Class: BE210
Group: 101_B5
Members:

Steven Chirieleison
Rong Hu
Sounok Sen
Xerxes Vevai

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The main objective of this lab is to determine the relationship, if any, between density, hardness and impact energy by using statistical tests such as an ANOVA to analyze raw data.  There are three main hypotheses associated with this experiment.  First it is hypothesized that there will be a significant statistical difference for impact energy, hardness and density for at least some of the wood types.  For example, the average density of balsa wood is 0.168 g/cm3 while the average density of oak is 0.640 g/cm3.  Also, a positive correlation between density and hardness for different types of wood is expected.  The denser the wood, the more tightly packed the grains of the wood, and therefore the more resistant the dowel rod would be against indentation, corresponding to a larger hardness value.  Lastly we would expect to see a negative correlation between impact energy and hardness.  The softer the material, the more plastic deformation the dowel rod will experience before fracture, hence the larger amount of energy absorbed on impact.  In contrast a harder dowel rod is more brittle and will therefore fracture with little plastic deformation, resulting in a lower observed impact energy.