DENSITY

Which is heavier?

1 kilogram of feathers

Or

1 kilogram of lead?
Both of these substances have the same
mass, but would have different volumes

This means that lead and feathers have

different densities!
 Mass and Volume
Mass
– A physical property that represents the amount of matter an
object contains
– Measured in:
– Grams (g)
– Kilograms (kg)

Volume
– A physical property that represents how much space an
object occupies
– Measured in:
– Millilitres (mL)
– Litres (L)
– Centimetres cubed (cm3)
 What is density?
• Density is a quantitative property of matter
that describes the amount of mass per unit
volume a substance has

It is a measure of how close the particles in

a substance are.
It is a measure of how much mass there is in
a specific amount of space.
 Formula!!
• FORMULA: d = m/v
• Where, d=density m=mass v=volume
Components
 Solving Density Problems
• When solving density problems always use the
GUESSS method
G: Givens
U: Unknown
E: Equation
S: Substitute
S: Solve
S: Statement
 Example
What is the density of 5 g cube with one side
having a length of 2 cm?
G: m=5g, v= 2x2x2 = 8 cm3
U: d=?
E: d=m/v
S: d= 5g/ 8 cm3
S: d= 0.625g/cm3
S: Therefore, the density of the cube is 0.63g/cm3
*Remember Volume Formulas*
V=lxwxh

V = pr2h (cylinder)

V = 4/3 pr3h (Sphere)

Irregular shaped objects: Use the

method of displacing water (We will see
tomorrow)
The Genius of Archimedes

287-212 BC
 Archimedes
• Greek mathematician
who was born in
Sicily.
• He is generally
considered to be the
greatest
mathematician of
ancient times.
• In About 269 B.C. — Archimedes traveled to
Egypt to study at Alexandria, the home of Euclid,
and the great library.
• He would typically sit for hours pondering
geometry diagrams drawn in the sand floor of his
home or on papyrus scrolls.
• Much of Archimedes fame comes from his
relationship with Hiero, the king of Syracuse, as
he performed a number of favors using his
intellect
• In one case, the hold
of a huge boat made
for the King had
become full of water
after a heavy rain.
• Not sure how to
remove the water
from the ship, King
Hiero asked
Archimedes for
assistance

King Hiero
• Archimedes would
invent a device to clear
away the water single
handedly
 The Archimedes Screw
• It is a machine consisting
of a hollow tube
containing a spiral that
could be turned by a
handle at one end.
• When the lower end of
the tube was put into the
hold and the handle
turned, water was carried
up the tube and over the
side of the ship.
• The "Archimedes
Screw" soon became
popular in Egypt as a
device for irrigating
fields and in other
forms, is still in use
today.
Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant of El Paso, Texas, USA. Built in 1985
• The most famous of these favors for the
king was that of the gold crown

• Watch the following cut-scenes and make

notes of the famous story.
• Recall formulas and figures:
• Density of gold = 19.34 g/cm3
• Density of silver = 10.5 g/cm3
• Density = mass
volume
• Eg. Aristotle is given a 730 g crown… what
should he do to determine if it is
authentic?
• PUT IT IN
WATER!!!!!!!!
• After sinking it in water he observes
that it displaces 45 cm of water…. Is it
authentic???
• Density = mass
volume
• Density = 730g
45cm3
= 16.22 g/cm3
• The crown is not authentic as it is not
dense enough to be gold.
 Terms
• Negatively Buoyant – Will Sink

• Positively Buoyant – Will Float

• Neutral Buoyant – Will neither sink or float,

it will hang out in the middle (like a fish)
 Buoyancy
• When an object is placed into a fluid it
takes up room (displaces)

• The greater the volume of the object, the

more fluid it will displace
 Buoyant Force
• The displaced fluid places an upward force
on the object
• This fluid has mass, if the mass of this
displaced fluid is greater than the mass of
the object, the object will float
 Buoyant Force
• That is why you weigh less in water
because there is an upward force which
decrease the downward force caused by
gravity
 Put Another Way
• Submerged objects always displace fluid upwards (the
level of water in the bathtub rose when Archimedes got
in). Thus, he reasoned that the buoyant force on an
object must be equal to the mass of fluid that object
displaces.
• If the mass of an object is greater than the mass of
displaced fluid, it will sink, if the mass of the object is
less than the mass of displaced fluid, it will rise.
• The volume of displaced fluid is precisely equal to the
volume of the submerged part of the object, so that the
difference between the buoyant force and the mass is
determined by the relative density of the object and the
fluid.
 Example
• If you place an object that weighs 63 lbs into
fresh water, the object is displacing 62.4 lbs of
water, but weighs 63 lbs. This object will be
negatively buoyant - it will sink. It is however
being buoyed up with a force of 62.4 lbs

• If we put the same object into salt water, it would

still weigh 63 lbs, but would be buoyed up by a
force of 64 lbs, and it would float (more on salt
water soon!)
 Buoyancy Simplified
• Buoyancy is the tendency of an object to float in a fluid
(gases are considered fluid in this case).

• If an object is less dense than the fluid it will float.

• This explains why wood and styrofoam float on water,

whereas concrete and steel sink. It also explains why it
is possible to make boats out of steel or even concrete.
As long as there are portions of the boat below the
surface of the water that are hollow (i.e. contain air), the
effective density of the boat can be less than that of
water even though the real density of the material is
greater.
 Water
• Water is the most common fluid but what
is the density of water?

• 1.0 g/mL or 1.0 g/cm3

• Anything that has a density less than

1.0g/mL will float!
 Applications
• Life jackets keep you afloat
because they are full of air which
decreases your density below
that of water

• Scuba divers can increase and

decrease the amount of air in
their suits to go up or down
 Floating
• When you hold your breath you are
effectively decreasing your density by filling
your lungs with air. If you breath out you
will sink
 Fat Floats
• If you add oil to water, the
oil will float to the top

• People who are obese

can also float without
holding their breath
because all their fat
makes them less dense
 Oil Spills
• An oil spill can have
devastating consequences
because oil is insoluble in
water and less dense. As a
result, it floats on the water.
Ultimately a great deal of the
oil spreads out on the water
until it reaches the shore
 The Dead Sea
• On average, sea water is 3% denser than
fresh water, so less of it must be displaced
to provide a buoyant force sufficient to
balance the mass of the object. This is
why floating is easier in salt water than in
fresh.
 The Dead Sea
• Near Jordan
• 8.6 times more salty than the ocean
• People can float without holding their breath
 Problems
• Recall: Density of gold = 19.34 g/cm3
1. Which one of the following is gold?
– A 1000 g crown that displaces 40 cm3 of water
– A 300g crown that displaces 11 cm3 water
– A 567g crown that displaces 24 cm3 water
2. Is a 2200 g crown that displaces 113 cm3 a gold
crown?
3. Is 1300 g crown that displaces 124 cm3 a silver
crown?
4. A 400 g silver crown should displace how much
water?
5. How much should a gold crown weigh if it
displaces 40 cm3 of water?