1

Finding Mass and Volume to Measure

Density









Maddy Hayes
January 6, 2014
Period 7
2

Introduction
In this lab, mass and volume were acquired to measure the density of objects through
different methods. If the mass and volume of an object are found, then the density can be
calculated. Density can be found by dividing the mass and volume of an object. The mass of an
object is the amount of matter is contains. Volume is the amount of space an object takes up or
occupies. Mass and volume are both known as extensive properties, whereas they depend on the
amount of the sample. By dividing mass and volume, density can be found. Density is the ratio
of an objects mass and volume. While mass and volume are both extensive properties, density is
an intrinsic property. Because it is an intrinsic property, it depends of the type of matter rather
than the sample size of the object. Depending on the object, different methods may have to be
used to figure out the mass and volume, which was done in this lab.
Materials and Methods
Wood block
Metal cylinder
Foam cube
Water
Baby oil
Rubber stopper
Glass ball
Ruler
Digital balance
Paper box
10mL graduated cylinder
100mL graduated cylinder

1. A wood block was placed on a digital balance to get the mass.
2. After the mass was recorded, a ruler was used to measure the length, width, and height of
the block.
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3. Because the block was a rectangle, the formula for finding the volume of a rectangle
(LWH) was used to find the volume.
4. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density of the wood block.
5. All measurements were recorded.

1. A metal cylinder was placed on a digital balance to get the mass.
2. For this object, two methods were used to measure volume.
3. For the first method, the diameter of the cylinder was measured with a ruler and then
divided by two to get the radius.
4. The height was measured with a ruler.
5. Because the object was a cylinder, the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder (r
2
h)
was used to get the volume.
6. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density of the metal cylinder
7. For the second method of finding volume, volume displacement was used.
8. A 100mL graduated cylinder was filled with water.
9. The metal cylinder was then dropped into the water.
10. The number that the water was originally filled up to was subtracted by the new number
the water was at after the metal cylinder was dropped in to get the volume.
11. The same mass used before was divided by the volume retrieved through volume
displacement to calculate the density of the metal cylinder.
12. All results were recorded.

1. A foam cube was placed on a digital balance to get the mass.
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2. A ruler was used to measure the length, width, and height of the foam cube.
3. Because it was a cube, the formula for finding the volume of a cube (LWH) was used
to find the volume.
4. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density of the foam cube.
5. All results were recorded.

1. A 10mL graduated cylinder was placed on a digital balance and measured.
2. The graduated cylinder was then filled with water and placed on the digital balance and
measured.
3. The mass of the graduated cylinder containing the water was subtracted by the mass of
the graduated cylinder alone to get the mass of the water.
4. The rule that 1cm
3
=1mL was applied to obtain the volume of the water.
5. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density of the water.
6. All results were recorded.

1. A 10mL graduated cylinder was placed on a digital balance and measured.
2. The graduated cylinder was then filled with baby oil and placed on the digital balance
and measured.
3. The mass of the graduated cylinder containing the baby oil was subtracted by the mass of
the graduated cylinder alone to get the mass of the baby oil.
4. The rule that 1cm
3
=1mL was applied to obtain the volume.
5. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density of the baby oil.
6. All results were recorded.
Finding Mass and Volume to Measure Density
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1. A rubber stopper was placed on a digital balance to get the mass.
2. To get the volume of the stopper, volume displacement was used.
3. A 100mL graduated cylinder was filled with water.
4. The rubber stopper was then dropped into the water.
5. The number that the water was originally filled up to was subtracted by the new number
the water was at after the rubber stopper was dropped in to get the volume.
6. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density.
7. All results were recorded.

1. A paper box was placed on a digital balance and measured.
2. A glass ball was then placed into the paper box.
3. The paper box with the glass ball inside was placed on a digital balance and measured.
4. The mass of the paper box with the glass ball inside was subtracted by the mass of the
paper box alone to get the mass of the glass ball.
5. For this object, two methods were used to measure volume.
6. For the first method, the diameter of the glass ball was measured with a ruler and then
divided by two to get the radius.
7. Because the glass ball was a sphere, the formula for finding the volume of a sphere
(4/3r
3
) was used to find the volume.
8. The mass and volume were divided to calculate the density of the glass ball.
9. For the second method of finding volume, volume displacement was used.
10. A 100mL graduated cylinder was filled with water.
11. The glass ball was then dropped into the water.
Finding Mass and Volume to Measure Density
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12. The number that the water was originally filled up to was subtracted by the new number
the water was at after the glass ball was dropped in to get the volume.
13. The same mass used before was divided by the volume retrieved through volume
displacement to calculate the density of the glass ball.
Data
Woodblock
Mass Length Width Height
38.4 g 8.7cm 4.7cm 2cm

Metal Cylinder
Mass Diameter Height 100 mL Grad.
Cyl. With
Water
100 mL Grad.
Cyl. With
Water &
Cylinder
15.2 g 1.2cm 4.4cm 60mL 65mL

Foam Cube
Mass Length Width Height
2.1 g 4.6cm 4.6cm 4.6cm



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Water
Mass of 10mL Grad. Cyl. Mass of 10mL Grad. Cyl.
with Water
Volume
27.1 g 33.09 g 6cm
3


Baby Oil
Mass of 10mL Grad. Cyl. Mass of 10mL Grad. Cyl.
With Baby Oil
Volume
27.03 g 31.52 g 5cm
3

Rubber Stopper
Mass 100mL Grad. Cyl. with
Water
100mL Grad, Cyl. with
Water & Stopper
8.13 g 50mL 55mL

Glass Ball
Mass of Paper
Box
Mass of Paper
Box & Ball
Diameter 100mL Grad.
Cyl. with Water
100mL Grad.
Cyl. with Water
& Ball
50.4 g 72.6 g 2.5cm 80mL 84mL




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Results
Wood Block
Mass Volume Density
38.4 g 81.8cm
3
.469 g

The mass of the wood block was measured directly on a digital balance. To get the volume, the
formula for finding the volume of a rectangle was used (LWH). The length (8.7), width (4.7),
and the height (2) were multiplied together. The mass and volume were divided to get the
density.

Metal Cylinder
Mass Volume Density
Formula 15.2g 4.98cm
3
3.05 g
Volume
Displacement
15.2g 5cm
3
3.04 g

The mass of the metal cylinder was measured directly on the digital balance. To get the volume,
the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder was used (r
2
h). Pi was multiplied by .6
2
and
4.4. The mass and volume were divided to get the density. To find the volume through volume
displacement, a 100mL graduated cylinder was filled with 60mL of water. After the metal
cylinder was dropped in, the water rose to 65mL. 65 and 60 were subtracted to get the volume.
The mass and volume were divided to get the density.

Foam Cube
Finding Mass and Volume to Measure Density
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Mass Volume Density
2.1 g 97.3cm
3
.022 g

The mass of the foam cube was measured directly on the digital balance. To get the volume, the
formula for finding the volume of a cube was used (LWH). The length (4.6), width (4.6), and
the height (4.6) were multiplied together. The mass and volume were divided to get the density.

Water
Mass Volume Density
5.99 g 6cm
3
.998 g

To get the mass of the water, the mass of the 10mL graduated cylinder containing the water
(33.09) and the mass of the 10mL graduated cylinder alone (27.1) were subtracted. To get the
volume, the rule that 1cm
3
=1mL was applied. The water in the graduated cylinder was filled to
6mL. The mass and volume were divided to get the density.

Baby Oil
Mass Volume Density
4.49 g 5cm
3
.898 g

To get the mass of the baby oil, the mass of the 10mL graduated cylinder containing the baby oil
(31.52) and the mass of the 10mL graduated cylinder alone (27.03) were subtracted. To get the
Finding Mass and Volume to Measure Density
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volume, the rule that 1cm
3
=1ml was applied. The baby oil in the graduated cylinder was filled to
5mL. The mass and volume were divided to get the density.

Rubber Stopper
Mass Volume Density
8.13 g 5c
3
1.626

The mass of the rubber stopper was measured directly on a digital balance. To get the volume,
volume displacement was used. The 100mL graduated cylinder was filled with 50mL of water.
After the stopper was dropped in, the water rose to 55mL. 55 and 50 were subtracted to get the
volume. The mass and volume were divided to get the density.

Glass Ball
Mass Volume Density
Formula 22.2 g 8.2cm
3
2.707 g
Volume
Displacement
22.2 g 4cm
3
5.55 g

To get the mass of the glass ball, the mass of the paper box with the ball in it (72.6) and the
mass of the paper box alone (50.4) were subtracted. To get the volume, the formula for
finding the volume of a sphere was used (4/3r
3
). 4/3 was multiplied by pi and 1.25
3
. The
mass and volume were divided to get the density. To find the volume through volume
displacement, a 100mL graduated cylinder was filled with 80 mL of water. After the glass
ball was dropped in, the water rose to 84mL. 84 and 80 were subtracted to get the volume.
The mass and volume were divided to get the density.
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Discussion
This experiment was conducted to show how density can be found by mass and volume.
Each object was taken and measured in a different way to retrieve the mass and volume.
Once the mass and volume were found, the density could then be calculated. Because some
of the objects were solids and some were liquids, different methods were used to figure out
each and measure density. To calculate the density of an object, mass is divided by the
volume.
Mass is the amount of matter an object contains. When trying to figure out the mass of a
solid, it can be found by simply weighing the object. But when trying to find the mass of a
liquid, it is different. Since a liquid cannot be placed on a digital balance the way solids can,
a different method must be used. The liquid could be poured into a container and weighed
and then be subtracted by the mass of the container by itself. This would provide the mass of
the liquid. Just as mass is the amount of matter in an object, volume is the amount of space
an object takes up. Volume can either be found through a volume formula or through volume
displacement. Mass and volume are both known as extensive properties. Because they are
extensive, they depend of the amount of matter present, or the sample size. Density is a
physical property of matter that measures the heaviness of an object. It is the ratio of an
objects mass and volume. Unlike mass and volume that are extensive properties, density is an
intrinsic property. Because it is an intrinsic property, density depends on the type of matter
rather than the sample size.
Density is very important to understand and can be used for many things. Scientists use
density to compare the densities of objects to the density of water to see what objects can
float on water and which cannot. Objects that are denser than water will sink and objects that
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are less dense than water will float. Knowing and understanding density is highly important
in things such as building ships and airplanes and also making pipe systems. Understanding
density also enables the ability to clean up oil spills. Although density is very helpful, it is
not always constant and tends to change. This is because volume changes with temperature,
which means that density varies as temperature changes.
Some of the results in the lab were compared to actual proven results to see how accurate
they were. In the lab, the density that was measured for water was .998 grams. The actual
density of water is 1 gram or somewhere around there. The density measured for baby oil in
the lab was .898 grams and the actual density is around 0.8 grams. As you can see, although
the results done in the lab were not exactly on point, they were very close. No experimental
errors occurred in the lab.
What this lab demonstrated is that if the mass and volume of an object are found, then the
density can be measured. Some objects require different methods for measuring mass and
volume such as volume displacement. Dividing mass and volume provides the density of any
object.

Conclusion
In this lab, multiple methods and techniques were applied to measure the mass and
volume of different objects to calculate the density. Mass, the amount of matter in an object,
divided by the volume, the amount of space an object occupies, measures the density of an
object. Density is very important to understand, especially for scientists and determining
which objects will float and which will not. It is also crucial that some builders understand
density for creating things such as ships and airplanes. All results proved to be fairly close to
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the actual densities of the objects used in the lab, making it successful. One thing that could
be done to improve the experiment would be to provide more objects whose volumes can be
found by both a volume formula and volume displacement. This would allow the person
performing the lab to be able to compare more and see which method was more effective.
Overall, the lab was successful and mass and volume were found for each object to measure
the density.













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Works Cited
Event-Based Science Institute. (2013). How is Density Measured? Retrieved from
http://www.ebsinstitute.com/Baseball/EBS.crp2df.html
Perlman, Howard. (2013, Jan 10). Water Density. Retrieved from
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/density.html
Richards, Rebekah. (2014). Why is Density Important in Science? Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7620749_density-important-science.html
Senese, Fred. (2014). What are Extensive and Intensive Properties? Retrieved from
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/matter/faq/extensive-intensive.shtml

Sigma-Alderich. (2014). Mineral Oil. Retrieved from
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sial/330779?lang=en&region=US

The University of Memphis: Department of Chemistry. (2013). Mass and Volume.
Retrieved from http://www.chem.memphis.edu/bridson/FundChem/T03a1100.htm
Wilbrahman, A., Staley, D., Matta, M., Waterman, E. (2012). Pearson Chemistry.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Finding Mass and Volume to Measure Density