How to Calculate Density
Those who have ever read a chemistry or physical science book have probably come across the term "density" at some point. Density refers to the concentration of something in a particular area. As far as science is concerned, density is the term used to describe the measure of mass per unit of volume. Different substances vary in density and the differences in density determine how the substances interact with one another.
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Instructions
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Know the simple mathematical formula for calculating the density of a substance. To use this formula, you will have to know the mass and the volume of the substance. The mass refers to the gravitational pull on the substance and how much matter it contains. The volume refers to the amount of three-dimensional space the substance occupies.
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Calculate the volume of the substance by measuring the length, width and height. The formula looks like this: Volume = L (length) x W (width) x H (height).
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Determine if the object or substance is irregularly shaped. If so, determine the volume by finding out how much water is displaced when the object is dropped into a beaker of water.
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Calculate the density once you know the volume and mass of the substance or object. Density is equal to the mass of the substance divided by its volume: D (density) = M (mass) / V (volume).
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Know that a substance or object with a higher density has a higher measure of mass per unit of volume. A substance with a density that is greater than 1 g/cm cubed will sink in water because it is denser. A substance with a density below 1g/cm cubed will float because it is less dense than water whose density is approximately 1 g/cm cubed.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Beaker With Blue Liquid image by explicitly from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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Thanks a lot for the steps. i rely need it in or project thx :)
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nc ^^. I use this as my guide in labatory.
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alive4u3
Oct 24, 2010
Note: I did format paragraphs but, in the end, the system changed it and removed the formatting. Sorry if difficult to read. -
alive4u3
Oct 24, 2010
If a reference is not available to simply "tell you" the density of a CHEMICAL substance (not something like a block of wood, etc) then it seems to me it would be quite complicated to "figure it out." The 'mass' is not so difficult as one can use the periodic table to figure that out. It's the volume that presents the problem. If a sample of the chemical in question is not available one would have to take some very complicated things into consideration (such as chemical structure, bond angles, and maybe more). So what does one do in a situation where they can not find the information just outright given to them and a sample of the substance is unavailable?? This is my problem. Perhaps it is possible to find an answer using some roundabout way such as knowing the density of a similar substance and using basic mathematics and the periodic table to figure out the difference (where...
