What Is Density?
Density is a physical characteristic of every substance
Density is the mass of unit volume
What Is Density?
Density is a
physical
characteristic of
every substance
Density is the
Mass of Unit
Volume
What is Mass?
Mass is a measure of the quantity of matter
Mass is often confused with weight.
The mass of anything is constant but weight is effected by location.
A person/object will weigh less on the moon or in space than on earth because of
the difference in gravity.
Mass (the amount of matter) - blood, bones etc does not change. Weight changes
because Weight = Mass x Gravity.
What is Volume?
Volume is the amount of space an object
occupies
Volume is:
length multiplied by width multiplied by height
or
lXwXh
In each case, the distance is in cm and since it (cm) is multiplied
three times, this results get centimeters cubed
• Density is mass divided by volume
or
D= M/V
D equals Density
M equals Mass
V equals Volume
Density referred to as
“mass per unit volume.”
• Mass is how much matter the
object has
• Per simply means divided by
• Unit volume is a measure of how
much space an object takes up
Calculating Density!
Take the mass and divide by its
volume!
What Are the Units of Density?
• Mass units would include
– Grams for very small objects or
– Kilograms for larger objects
• Volume units would include
– Centimeters cubed (cm)3 for small objects or
– Meters cubed (m)3 for large objects
– Millilitres for small amounts of liquids
– Litres for larger amounts of liquid
- Both units (mass and volume) are included in answer for
measuring density - Grams/Centimeter cubed or g/cm3
An Example?
A block of wood
L = 10 cm
H = 4 cm
W = 2 cm
Mass= 160 grams
Use the information provided to calculate the
density of the object
Density = Mass/Volume
Mass = 160g
Volume = 10cm x 4cm x 2cm = 80cm3
Density = Mass/Volume
Density = 160/80 = 2g/cm3
Further activities on measuring density visit:
juniorscience.ie
Irregularly Shaped Objects
• To find the density of an irregularly shaped
object -
• If the length, width, and height of the object,
are not uniform e.g. a stone, you cannot use l X
w X h to determine volume.
Irregularly Shaped Objects
• Start with a graduated cylinder of water filled
about half full
• Record the volume of water in the cylinder
• Drop in the irregularly shaped object
• Record the volume of water in the cylinder with
the object in it
• Subtract the original volume from the second
volume to determine the volume of the object
• You are measuring the amount of water
displaced by the object which is equal to the
volume of that object
• This is called:
volume by displacement
•Handy!!
Liquids
• A liquid can be weighed to determine its mass.
• To do this, measure a cylinder in grams and
record its empty mass
• Add the liquid
• Now weigh the cylinder again
• Subtract the mass of just the cylinder and this
gives the mass of the liquid
Liquids
• To determine the volume, simply look at
where the liquid measures in the cylinder and
record the amount
Some Specific Densities :
Substance Density (g/cm 3)
Gold 19. 3
Mercury 13. 5
Lead 11. 3
Aluminum 2. 7
Water (liquid) 1. 0
Water (ice) 0. 92
Air 0. 0013
WHY DO SOME
THINGS
FLOAT WHILE
OTHERS SINK?
Ever Notice…
• When you put ice into water it floats to
the top
Why?
• Ice is less dense than water by just a little bit. That
is why your ice floats to the top of water.
Sink or Float?
• Solids can float or sink in a liquid.
List examples of solids which would
sink in water?
• Any solid will sink in water if it has a
density greater than the density of water.
• Water has a density of 1g/ cm 3
Any solid with a density greater than 1g/ cm
3 will sink in water!
Any solid with a density less then water will
float in water !
Can you explain how?
Large ships can float on water?
A submarine can submerge into the ocean
depths?
A hot air balloon floats into the sky?
For explanation visit: juniorscience.ie
Further food for thought on density
visit:
www.juniorscience.ie
