Exemplary lab report for “Density Inquiry” activity
[The wording in your report could be different]
1. Goal and theoretical aspects
a) The main goal is to identify (name) a substance with the greatest density and a substance with the
smallest density (among those provided at the stations)
b) To achieve the main goal, I would have to find the densities of all 9 substances provided to me, and
then identify these substances by using the data (BOTH density values AND some characteristics) in
the provided table
c) Density is a “characteristic” property because it can help us identify (name) an object. Nevertheless,
some different substances may still have the same density values (for example, water and wet wood).
To be able to distinguish these substances, we may use some additional characteristics of materials
(such as solid/liquid/gaseous, typical colour, transparency, shine, etc.)
d) The formulas to use when completing this lab, are:
• D = m/V, where D - density, m – mass, V – volume. This is a universal formula that can be
applied to an object of any shape
• V = L x W x H, where V – volume, L – length, W – width, H – height of a rectangular prismlike shaped object
e) I was not asked to answer any particular questions in the Lab handout
2. Materials
Unknown objects – 9
Beaker – 1
Graduated cylinder – 1
Ruler – 1
Triple-beam balance – 1
Water
3. Procedure [your wording could be different and your steps could be a little more detailed]
Where an object is a rectangular prism-shaped solid (RSS), the following steps should be followed:
1) Place the an object onto the triple-beam scale to find its mass
2) Using a ruler, measure (and record) the object’s length, width, and height.
3) Using values obtained in step #2 above, calculate the object’s volume (VRSS)
4) Repeat the steps #1 – 3 for all stations with a RSS [you could list particular station #s here]
5) Record visual characteristics of the sample under investigation
Where an object is an irregularly shaped solid (ISS), the following steps should be followed:
1) Place the object onto the triple-beam scale to find its mass
2) Fill a graduated cylinder with water, making sure there is enough water to cover the ISS
3) Note (and record) the level of water in the cylinder, which will correspond to initial volume (Vi)
4) Carefully (slowly) place the ISS into the graduated cylinder filled with water
5) Note (and record) the new (final) water level (Vf)
6) Using values obtained in steps # 3 and # 4, calculate the volume of the object (Viss)
7) Repeat the steps #1 – 6 for all stations with a ISS [you could list particular station #s here]
8) Record visual characteristics of the sample under investigation
Where an object is a liquid (L), the following steps should be followed:
1) Place an empty graduated cylinder onto a triple-beam scale to find its mass (ME)
2) Add any amount of unknown liquid sample into that graduated cylinder to find the mass of the
cylinder filled with liquid (MF)
3) Using values obtained in steps # 1 and #2, calculate the mass of the liquid material poured into the
cylinder
4) Note (and record) the level (V) of liquid material in the cylinder, which will correspond to the
volume of the liquid used
5) Record visual characteristics of the sample under investigation
At the end of all procedural sections above (for RSS, ISS, Liquid), calculate densities of the samples
provided
Match the calculated values of densities, as well as recorded visual characteristics of the samples, with
those in the table (chart) provided in the Lab handout
Results
[Not all cells in the table must be filled! Only fill the cells with values applicable to the object under
investigation. See what was to be measured in the “Procedure” above]
The values below are just examples, not real values
Station #
Mass M
[g]
1
5
Dimensions, Initial volume,
L, W, H
Vi [ml]
[cm]
15
2
9
6, 3, 2
3
25
4
4
5
56
6
10
Final volume,
Vf [ml]
Object’s volume,
V [ml]
Observed
characteristics
26
Solid, metal,
grey, shiny
Solid, wood
45
Solid, plastic
18
Liquid, clear
13
29
Solid, metal,
shiny, gold
coloured
Liquid, clear
7
8
35
Liquid, slippery
8
125
9
90
9, 4,1
30
48
12
Calculations
Station # 1:
Solid, dull grey
D=
= () = () = 0.45/
Liquid, orange
Station # 2:
D=
= =
(××)
= 0.25
= (0.25
)
[similar calculations for other stations here]…………………………………………………….
Station # 9: D =
=
=7.5 g/ml
Analysis
[Values and material names in the table below are just examples, and are not real]
Station #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Calculated
density, D [g/ml]
2.5
3
288
1.5
2.2
0.85
1.1
10.9
2.9
Lowest D? Highest D?
Closest material name (ID)
Aluminum
Oak
?
Oil
Copper
Alcohol
Water
Lead
Antifreeze
At station #5, my calculated density value matched the one provided to me in the Lab handout table.
At station # 3, my calculated density value was way off any of the values in the chart provided to me. I did not
find any mistakes in my calculations. That likely means that I made an error when measuring or recording
object’s mass or water levels in the graduated cylinder. Therefore, I cannot make a reliable conclusion about the
name of the material.
For stations # 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8, I identified the materials (see my table above) if their densities (provided to me)
were the closest to my calculated density values.
For station # 9, my calculated density value was exactly between densities of Copper and Antifreeze. I decided
to choose antifreeze as my answer because my observed characteristics (liquid, orange) matched characteristics
of antifreeze, not the copper.
For station # 1, my calculated density was actually a bit closer to that of copper. Nevertheless, I decided to
choose aluminum as my answer because my observed characteristics (grey colour) corresponded to aluminum,
not copper.
According to the data in my table above, the material with the lowest density was at the station #6 and I
identified it as alcohol, while the material with the highest density was at the station # 8 and I identified it as
lead.
Conclusion
Among those 9 substances provided to me at the stations, a substance with the greatest density was lead, and a
substance with the smallest density was alcohol