Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ______________ Period:
_________
Finding Density
Purpose: To measure both mass and volume for regularly and irregularly shaped objects and then use the
data to calculate and compare densities.
Materials:
● Rock
● Density Cube/Domino
● 10 pennies
● Graduated Cylinder
● Triple Beam Balance
Hypothesis: Using the correct hypothesis format, predict which item will be the most dense and which will be
the least.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Procedure:
Part A
1.
2.
3.
4.
Find the mass of the rock using the triple beam balance.
Put 20 mL of water in the graduated cylinder.
Carefully drop the rock in the graduated cylinder.
Find the volume of the rock through water displacement. How many mL did the water rise after the rock
was dropped in? That’s the volume of the rock. Note: 1 mL is equivalent to 1 cm3.
5. Calculate the density. (D=m/v)
6. Repeat steps 1-5 to find the density of the 10 pennies.
Part B
1. Find the mass of the density cube/domino using the triple beam balance.
2. Calculate the volume of the cube in cm. (L x W x H = volume of a cube)
3. Calculate the density. (D=m/v)
Data/Observations:
Item
Rock/Marble
10 Pennies
Density Cube/Domino
Mass (g)
Volume (cm3)
Density (g/cm3)
Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ______________ Period:
_________
Analysis Questions:
1) Did the rock sink when it was dropped into the graduated cylinder? Why did the rock sink directly to the
bottom?
2) Why is the volume of water (a liquid) measured in milliliters (mL) but the volume of the
rock/pennies/domino measured in cubic centimeters (cm3)?
3) If you cut one of the items in half, would its density change? How would it change?
4) Look at your values for the rock. Cut the mass in half, then cut the volume in half and calculate the new
density for the rock. (SHOW ALL WORK). Now review your answer for question number 3 and explain
what happened?
5) Create a bar graph. Don’t forget to labels your x-axis and y-axis, give your graph a title, and use evenly
spaced units.