PRACTICUM OF PHYSICS

HOW TO MEASURE THE DENSITY OF IRREGULAR

THING

OLEH:
DEDI MEIER SILABAN

NIM: 1007113662

UNIVERSITY OF RIAU
2010
 DENSITY OF IRREGULAR THING

Goal: to measure density of irregular thing,

Material and equipments:

1. Cylinder
2. Ruler
3. Water
4. Irregular thing (stone)
5. Scales

Purpose of this experiment is to measure density of things. This experiment is applied based on
the Archimedes, such as: if we sink a thing into the water, so volume of water is getting to
increase just the same with the volume of thing which sunk.

Steps of this experiment

1. Measure mass of the irregular thing with scales

Mass = 170 gr.

2. Measure diameter or the radius of cylinder

Diameter (d) = 11,5 cm radius (r) = 5,75 cm.

3. Pour some water into cylinder. Remember: don’t reach top of the cylinder.
4. Measure high of water before with ruler
h0 = 9 cm

5. Take the irregular thing into the water. After that measure high of the water.
ht = 9,5 cm

6. Calculate the volume of irregular thing.

Virregular thing = Vt – V0
= πr2ht - πr2h0
= πr2 (ht – h0)
= 3,14 × (5,75 cm)2 × (9,5 cm – 9 cm)
= 3,14 × 33,0625 cm2 × 0,5 cm
= 51,908 cm3
= 0,0519 liter
7. Calculate density of irregular thing.

m
ρ irregular thing¿
V
0,17 kg
¿
0,0519ltr
= 3,275 kg/ltr

Conclusion: if we sink a thing into the water, so volume of water is getting to increase just the
same with the volume of thing which sunk.