Station 1: Finding Density using a Graph
1. Find the density of the
substance using the graph.
A = 60-50 = 8.3 g/mL = Copper
7.6-6.4
B= 36-25 = 2.75 g/mL = Alum
6-2
2. Determine which substance is
substance A and which is
substance B.
Substance
Copper
Silver
Aluminum
Magnesium
Sodium
Gold
Substance A
Substance B
Density (g/mL)
8.49
10.50
2.70
1.74
0.97
19.3
3. Recently the world population hit a new milestone. The world population has now reached 7 billion
people. Approximately, 57.5 million square miles of the Earth is land. What is the density of people on
land?
D = m/v= 7,000,000,000 ppl/ 57,500,000 miles2= 121.74 pp/mi2
Station 2: Finding Density given Data
1. Write the formula for density.
D= m/v
2. Find the density of the following substances:
a. Substance C- 100 grams of this substance completely fill a 200 mL bottle
D=m/v= .5 g/mL
b. Substance D- A block of this substance measures 2.00 cm x 4.00 cm x 5.00 cm
and has a mass of 356 grams.
D= 8.9 g/cm3
c. Substance E- A piece of this substance has a mass of 16.52 grams and a
volume of 2.26 cm3.
D= 7.31 g/cm3
3. The mass of a full bottle of Diet Pepsi is 609.0 grams and has a volume of 591.0 mL.
Calculate the density of the full bottle of Diet Pepsi.
D= 1.03 g/mL
4. You drink all of the soda out of the bottle. The soda had a mass of 570 grams. Recalculate the
density of the empty soda bottle.
D= 0.0659 g/mL
5. How does changing the mass of a substance affect it’s density if the volume stays the same?
Density and mass have a direct relationship. If you increase one, you increase the other.
m= D
Station 3: Finding Mass given Data
1. Rearrange the density formula to solve for mass. Write down the new formula.
m=Dv
2. Find the mass of the following substances:
a. Substance F- There is 10.0 mL of this substance and it has a density of 1.50 g/mL
m= 15.0 g
b. Substance G- This substance has a density of 13.6 g/mL and a volume of 8.20 mL
m= 111.52g
c. Substance H- 2000 mL of this substance has a density of 0.74 g/mL
m=1480g
3. Pumice is volcanic rock that contains many trapped air bubbles. A
225 gram sample occupied 236.6 mL. What is the density of pumice?
D= 0.951 g/mL
4. Will pumice float or sink on water?
Float- density is less than water
5. How do the air bubbles affect the density of the pumice to help it
float or sink in water?
The air bubbles decrease the mass, making the density lower than water
Station 4: Finding Volume given Data
1. Rearrange the density formula to solve for volume. Write down the new formula.
v= m/D
2. Find the volume of the following substances:
a. Substance I- 26.5 g of this substance has a density of 7.48 g/mL
v= 3.54 mL
b. Substance J- 3.400 g of this substance has a density of 10.74 g/mL
v=0.317 mL
c. Substance K- 120 grams of this substance has a density of 13.6 g/mL
v= 8.82 mL
3. A chemist needs 2.00 g of a liquid compound, which has a density of 0.718 g/mL. If the compound
costs $5.67 per mL, how much will a 2.0 gram sample cost?
v=m/D= 2.00/.718=2.78mLx$5.67= $15.79
4. An old riddle asks, “Which has more mass, a kilogram of feathers or a kilogram of
iron?” The answer is that they have the same mass. Based on your knowledge of
density, which would occupy more volume, a kilogram of feathers or a kilogram of
iron? Explain.
Feathers occupy more space because there are air pockets between the feathers.
5. A can of beans has a volume of 473 mL and a mass of 257 grams when empty. If you
crush the empty can, would the volume change? How would that affect density?
Density and volume have an inverse relationship. When volume goes down, density
goes up. When volume goes up, density goes down. Crushing the can makes the volume go down, and
density go up.
Station 5: Floaters or sinkers?
1. Materials with a density greater than water sink in water. Materials with a density less than water
float in water. Which of the following will float on water?
air = .001 g/cm3
steel = 7.81 g/cm3
corn oil = .93 g/cm3
rubber = 1.34 g/cm3
3
glycerine = 1.26 g/cm
ice = .92 g/cm3
corn syrup = 1.48 g/cm3
water = 1.00 g/cm3
wood = .85 g/cm3
2. Assuming these materials don’t mix, how would they “stack up” in a graduated cylinder?
Bottom to top: steel, corn syrup, rubber, glycerine, water, corn oil, ice, wood, air
3. The density of a material changes with temperature. Ice (0.9 g/mL), for example is less dense than
liquid water (1.0 g/mL). How would winters in Wisconsin be different if ice didn’t float, but instead
froze from the bottom of the lake upwards?
If water froze from the bottom up, it would cause the land to flood…not cool!
Station 6: Density as a Constant
1. These five balloons escaped from the balloon seller in the park. Each one is filled with one of the
gases listed in the table below. On your paper, write the name of the gas that you think each balloon
contains.
Balloon 1: ___________Hydrogen_______
1
4
Balloon 2: ______Carbon Dioxide_______
5
Balloon 3: ____Air_______________________
Balloon 4: _____Helium_________________
3
2
Balloon 5: ______Nitrogen_______________
GASES
DENSITY (g/ cm3)
Air
0.0013
Carbon dioxide
0.0018
Helium
0.00018
Hydrogen
0.00009
Nitrogen
0.0012
2. A solid cylinder of plastic has a density of 1.6 g/cm3. It is then cut exactly in half. What is the density
of each of the pieces now? Explain.
Density stays the same = 1.6 g/cm3 because mass and volume decrease at the same ratio (density)
3. Density is a physical property used to identify substances, therefore it stays constant regardless of how
much substance you have. You have a sample of a substance that you know is one of two substances.
Write a brief plan to help you identify what it is.
Find the mass
Find the volume by either graduated cylinder, displacement, or ruler
Divide! Mass/Volume
Compare to list of known densities