Name: ______________________________

Date: _________________

B11

Mass, Volume & Density

MASS
Definition: amount of matter in a substance
Units: grams (g)
Tool for measurement: triple beam balance
Procedure for measuring the mass of an object:
1. With the platform empty, move the three sliders on the three beams to their
leftmost positions, so that the balance reads zero.
2. If the indicator on the far right is not aligned with the fixed mark ("0"), then
calibrate the balance by turning the set screw on the left under the platform.
3. Once the balance has been calibrated, place the object to be measured on the
platform.
4. Move the 500 gram slider along the beam to the right until the indicator drops
below the fixed mark. The notched position immediately to the left of this point
indicates the number of hundreds of grams.
5. Now move the 100 gram slider along the beam to the right until the indicator
drops below the fixed mark. The notched position immediately to the left of this point
indicates the number of tens of grams.
6. Now move the 10 gram slider along the beam to the right. This beam is not
notched; the slider can move anywhere along the beam. The boldface numbers on this
beam are grams and the tick marks between the boldface numbers indicate tenths of
grams.
7. You have positioned the sliders correctly when the pointer is aligned with the
"O".
8. To find the mass of the object, simply add the numbers from the three beams.

** If you are measuring the mass of a liquid, measure the mass of the liquid in a
container and then subtract this by the mass of the empty container.

VOLUME
Definition: amount of space taken up by a substance
Units: milliliters (mL) or cubic centimeters (cm3)
Tool for measurement:
liquids - graduated cylinder

Name: ______________________________
Date: _________________

B11
irregular solids - graduated cylinder (small) / overflow can & graduated cylinder (large)
regular solids - ruler
Procedure for measuring the volume of a liquid:
1. Pour the liquid in a graduated cylinder.
2. Place the graduated cylinder on a flat surface.
3. Go down to eye level and read the volume by looking at the bottom of the
meniscus.

Procedure for measuring the volume of a small irregular solid:

1. By looking at the size of the object, choose a quantity of water to add to the
graduated cylinder (enough so that the object would be covered).
2. Add this quantity of water to the graduated cylinder. (volume 1)
3. Take note of the volume of water.
4. Tilt the graduated cylinder at 45C and gently slide the object in the graduated
cylinder.
5. Place the graduated cylinder on a flat surface.
6. Read the new volume of water, with the object in it. (volume 2)
7. Subtract volume 2 by volume 1. This is the volume of your solid.

Procedure for measuring the volume of a large irregular solid:

1. Fill the overflow can (over a sink) until water is dripping out of it.
2. Once the water has stabilized, move the can away from the sink and place a
beaker under the tap.
3. Gently place the solid in the overflow can and let the excess water fill into the
beaker.
4. Once the water stops overflowing into the beaker, empty the beaker into a
graduated cylinder and find the volume.
5. The volume of your solid is the same as the water that overflowed from your
overflow can.

Procedure for measuring the volume of a regular solid:

1. With a ruler, measure the length, the height and the width of the object.
2. Multiply these three measures to find the volume of your solid (LxHxW).

DENSITY
Definition: the amount of matter in a substance per unit of space
Units: g/mL or g/cm3
Formula: D = m/V

(density = mass/volume)