DENSITY

Density means how compact the particles are in an object. Density depends

on mass and the volume of the object. Density is defined as mass per unit

volume.
mass
Density= ………………….(1)
volume

m
ρ= ………………………….(2)
V

Density is a scalar quantity and the SI unit for density is kg/m 3 for daily life

use smaller unit like g/cm3. The volume of liquid or gas can be measured by

the unit ‘liter’ (l) or milliliter (ml).

1000ml = 1 l and 1 ml = 1cm3 and thus 1000cm3 = 1l .

Mathematically from the equation (2)

ρ m ………………………………(3)

1
ρ ……………………………..(4)
V

Graphically the result can be displayed as follows:

Density/g/cm3
/g/cm3
Density

Mass/g Volume/cm3
For a fixed density the mass and the volume are directly proportional. It
means that mass must be increased when volume is increased if the density
remains constant.
To find the density of an object: Regular shaped

i) Find the mass by the pan balance.

ii) Find the volume by geometric procedure.

Density of solid:
i) Sphere :
m r
ρ=
V

m
ρ=
4 3
πr
3
3m
ρ= 3 …………………………(5)
4πr

ii) Cylinder r
m
ρ= ……………………………..(6)
V
h
m
ρ= 2 …………………………….(7)
πr h
To measure the density of an irregular shaped object:
i) Find the mass of the irregular shaped object.
ii) Liquid is taken in a measuring cylinder the volume of the liquid is
V1.
iii) The object is dipped and the new volume is measured as V2 .

Final level
Initial level

V1
V2

iv) The volume of the object is V= (V2 – V1)

m
ρ=
V …………………(i)

m
ρ=
( V 2−V 1 ) …………(ii)
To measure the Density of liquids:
i) The mass m1 of an empty measuring cylinder is measured by the
top pan balance.
ii) Then the test liquid is poured in the cylinder up to a known volume.
iii) The mass of the cylinder with the liquid m2 is again measured. Thus
the mass of the liquid is:
m=(m2 – m1)
m
Thus the density: ρ=
v
m2−m1 ………………………..(i)
ρ=
v

‫׃‬ ‫׃‬

Electronic balance Electronic balance

Precaution:
i) For a more accurate result the experiment can be repeated with
different volume and the average density can be calculated.
ii) Eye position must be in the same level of the liquid while taking the
volume readings.
iii) The reading for volume should be taken from the lower meniscus.
iv) Temperature must be noted down.
To measure the density of a gas (air):
i) A flask with stopper is connected with the vacuum pump, the air
from the flask is pumped out so that the pressure gauge reads
‘zero’.
ii) The stopper is closed and the mass of the flask is measured.
iii) The mass of the vacuumed flask is m1.
iv) The stopper is open and the air is let in. Again the mass of the flask
with air is measured; and it is m2.
v) The mass of only the air is m = (m2 – m1).
vi) To find the volume of the flask, it is filled with water and then the
water is poured into a measuring cylinder and the volume ‘v’ of the
cylinder can be found.
m
ρ=
v ………….. (i)

( m2−m1 )
ρ= …………………….(ii)
v

To the Vacuum

Stopper open

Stopper closed

Vacuum Flask
Archimedes Principle:
When an object is partially or completely immersed in a fluid then an up
thrust acts on the object. And the object apparently lose some weight this
lost weight is equal to the weight of the replaced fluid.

F1 = m1 g

m2 m1

Replaced liquid
F2 = m2 g

An object with mass m2 is completely immersed in the water as shown. The

amount of the water replaced is m1 (which is drawn separately as m1). Thus
the resultant force acting on the object is:

F=F 2−F1

F=m2 g−m1 g

F=g(m2−m1 ) ……….(a)

If the object is floating then the net force acting on the object is zero then:
F=0
Thus 0=g(m2−m1 )

Or ( m2−m1 ) =0
m
m2=m1 as
V m = ρV
Or ρ=
 ρ1 V1 = ρ2V2
As the object and the liquid have the same volume they have the same
density when an object is floating.

Sinking and floating:

An object will sink in a liquid when the weight is greater that the up thrust
acted by the replaced liquid.
In the first diagram the replaced liquid has a less mass than the brick itself
thus there is a less up thrust on the brick than weight thus the brick is
sinking.
In the second diagram when the brick reached in the bottom of the pond the
reaction force added up with the up thrust and it balances the weight and
the brick balances.
If the brick is placed in the mercury then it would replace the same volume
of mercury but this time as the mercury has a higher density the mass in
that volume would be more than the brick and as a result the up thrust
would be greater than weight and the brick would float.

Hot air balloon:

In a hot air balloon heat is applied to the air inside the balloon, as it expands
the density of the air inside falls and the weight decreases as some air
comes out from the balloon due to expansion. The mass of the colder air
replaced by the expanded balloon is more which produces a greater up
thrust and hence the balloon rises upward.

Plimsoll Lines: These are the marking lines at the haul of a ship to indicate
the amount of loading in the ship. If the ship is loaded more then it will sink
more.
By looking at these lines the inspector can understand the loading of the
ship. This is to prevent sinking and preventing accidents. The sea liner will
sink more in the fresh water than salt water in the sea. As salt water has
more density than fresh water thus to get enough up thrust by replacing
large amount of water, the ship will sink more.
Plimsoll lines
The Hydrometer:

The device which is used to measure the density of a liquid is called

‘Hydrometer’. It is a glass tube with a load attached at one end and a scale
at the other end. When a hydrometer is placed in a liquid, it floats vertically

Hydrometer
If the hydrometer is dipped in a denser liquid then it will sink less and if the
hydrometer is dipped in a thinner liquid then it will sink more. The
hydrometer is calibrated to calculate the purity of the liquid.
Fluid Movement: Fluids can flow in two ways. i) Laminar flow which is often
called stream line flow and ii) Turbulent flow.