#7

MASS, VOLUME, AND DENSITY

LABORATORY EXPERIMENT ADAPTED FROM PRENTICE HALL

INTRODUCTION
An old riddle asks Which is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead? The question is
nonsensical, of course, since a pound of feathers and a pound of lead both weigh the same,
one pound. Nevertheless, there is clearly something different about a small lead brick and a
large bag of feathers, even though they weigh the same. The key to answering the riddle is
understanding the relationship that exists between a substances mass and the volume it
occupies. This relationship is expressed by the physical property called density. The density of a
substance, unlike its mass or volume, is characteristic of the nature of the substance. A
substance like gold will have a particular density, different from that of iron, or water, or lead.
Density is defined as the ratio of a substances mass to the volume it occupies.
Mass (g)
Density
Volume (mL)
PURPOSE
In this experiment you will accomplish the following:
1. Determine the density of several liquids and solids.
2. Identify an unknown metal sample by its density.
3. Calculate the percent error within the class for a specific sample.

PROCEDURE
You are responsible for creating your own data tables for this lab. Dont forget to use units!

A. Finding the density of liquids.

1. Determine the mass of a clean, dry, empty 25-mL graduated cylinder using the balance.
2. Pour 10mL of water into the cylinder (make sure youre looking at the bottom of the
meniscus when measuring).
3. Measure the mass of the cylinder and water.
4. Calculate the mass of water.
5. Using the equation above, calculate the density of water.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for samples of Coke and Diet Coke (no drinking allowed!)

B. Identifying an unknown metal by determining its density.

1. Select one unknown metal sample to investigate. Record the rods identification letter.
2. Determine the mass of the unknown to the nearest 0.01grams using a balance.
3. Find the volume of the metal sample by water displacement:
a. Fill a 25mL graduated cylinder about half-full with water, measure and record the
volume as accurately as possible.
b. Carefully release the metal sample into the graduated cylinder so it is completely
submerged in the water.
c. The amount of water displaced is equal to the volume of the solid.
4. Using the formula shown above, calculate the density of your unknown.
5. Identify your metal sample using Table 1. TABLE 1
Metal Density
Aluminum 2.70g/cm3
Copper 8.92g/cm3
Zinc 7.13g/cm3
Brass 8.00g/cm3
C. Calculating percent error.
1. Obtain one chocolate M&M for your group (Do not eat it.)
2. Determine the mass of the M&M using a balance.
3. Using the water displacement method determine the volume of the M&M.
4. Calculate the density of the M&M.
5. Write the density that you obtain on the front whiteboard.
6. Once all groups have recorded their results, we will calculate the percent error as a
class.

Percent error = |accepted value experimental value| x 100%

accepted value

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
1. The density of water is 1.00 g/mL. How accurate was your calculation in Part A? What
are some possible sources of error that could have occurred to result in an incorrect
density value?

2. How confident are you with your calculations for the density of Coke and Diet Coke?
What evidence do you have to justify your answers as being correct or incorrect?

3. Using the accepted value for the density of a metal (as shown in Table 1), calculate the
percent error of your calculated metal density in Part B.

4. Do you think that determining the volumes of your metal samples by measuring their
dimensions and calculating would be more or less accurate than determining these
volumes by water displacement? Explain.

5. Were the class results for the density of an M&M precise, accurate or both? Explain.
(Refer to Chapter 3 if you need help with these terms.)

6. Would the water displacement method work for calculating the density of a tablespoon of
salt? Explain.

LAB REPORT DUE ONE WEEK FROM TODAY (MUST BE TYPED)

Basic report title, results and analysis questions only:
Go to labwrite.ncsu.edu/ or google labwrite)
Click on PostLab
Click the box located at the junction of self-guide and descriptive lab report
Go to Section 2, Results and use Steps 1-5 as a guide on how to report your results and
display your data tables, etc.
Answer the analysis questions (1-6) using complete sentences! (You do not need to
retype the question, but your answer must be typed)

Your final report should have a title (a catchy title is fine, the title Density Lab is a bit boring,),
a complete results section as described by Labwrite with a data table (learn to use excel but
for now a hand-drawn table will be acceptable), and complete answers for questions 1-6.