The Effect of State of Matter on Density

Anna Carlisle Worrell

Abbie Stockard, Sarah Katherine Sullivan, Everett Thompson
5th period
Mrs. Olvey
October 31st

Introduction
The purpose of this lab is to compare densities in different states of matter. We know that a solid has a
fixed volume and shape, molecules are closely packed together and the particles vibrate in place. We
know that when substances are in the solid form, they are usually very dense and not very compressible.
Liquids do not have a fixed shape, but they do have a fixed volume. Liquid molecules are more spread out
than solid molecules, but less spread out than gas molecules. Liquids densities vary and liquids are more
compressible than solids, but less compressible than gases. We know gas does not have a fixed shape or
volume, and that molecules move very fast in gas form. Substances in the gas form are usually not very
dense, but very compressible.

Experimental Design
A. Experimental Question
How does the state of matter an object is in affect its density?
B. Independent Variable
The independent variable is the different objects/substances.
C. Dependent Variable
The dependent variable will be the density. To find the density of the objects, I will
divide mass by volume.

Hypothesis
If states of matter are measured in terms of density, then the states will have different densities, because
the states have different particle structures.
Test
A. Materials
To complete this investigation, we will need a triple beam balance, a graduated cylinder,
water, a ruler, a tape measure, a pipette, a balloon, and cups.
B. Procedures
Liquid sample procedure
1) Find mass of empty cup
2) Fill cup with 25mL of one substance
3) Find mass of cup with liquid, subtract the mass of empty cup from the mass of the full
cup, and record measurement on data table.
4) Record volume of liquid on data table. (25 mL)
5) Repeat steps 1-4 for other substances
6) Calculate the densities of the liquids by dividing mass by volume and record the data in
your data table.
Solid sample procedure

1) Find mass of wooden cube using the scale and record measurement in your data table.
2) Find volume using ruler. Measure length, width, and height and multiply. Record
measurement of volume in your data table using centimeters cubed.
3) Find density by using mass divided by volume. Record using grams/centimeters cubed.
4) To find the mass of lava rock, use the scale. Record measurement in grams in your data
table.
5) To find volume, fill graduated cylinder with water.
6) Place the lava rock in the water.
7) Find the difference by subtracting the original 25mL from the amount of water in the
graduated cylinder when you dropped the lava rock in. Record measurement of volume in
grams/centimeters cubed in your data table.
8) Calculate density of lava rock using mass divided by volume. Record density in your data
table using grams/centimeters cubed.
9) To find mass of cork place it on the scale. Record measurement in your data table using
grams.
10) To find the volume of the cork use the formula: r2h. Use your ruler to find the diameter
of the cork, and divide by two to get the radius. Use ruler to find height of the cork. Plug
in radius and height to the formula and solve. Record your measurement in your data
table using centimeters cubed.
11) To find the density of the cork, divide mass by volume and record the measurement in
your data table using grams/centimeters cubed.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Gas sample procedure

Use the scale to find the mass of the empty balloon. Stretch out the balloon by blowing it up and
then releasing the air, and then go on to the next step.
While a partner is holding the balloon open, drop in a dry ice chip. Tie off the balloon and allow
the dry ice to sublime for about 10 minutes.
When the dry ice has sublimed into a gas, record observations about the particle structure of the
gas, compressibility, and definite shape and volume.
Use scale to find mass of inflated balloon and find the difference from this and the empty balloon
to find your mass. Record in grams.
Press balloon on the table to make it as much of a perfect sphere as you can, and measure the
diameter. Divide this by two to get your radius, and plug into the formula 4/3 r3 to find the
volume of the gas. Record in your data table in grams/centimeters cubed.

Observations
A. Quantitative Observations
-The wooden cube is a six sided solid, has a beige color, no odor and feels dense.
-The lava rock is a rock with no particular shape, it's in the solid phase, has a black/grey color, no odor
and feels extremely dense.

-The cork is a cylinder, has a beige-brown color, it is a solid, has no odor, and does not feel dense.
-The oil is a liquid with a golden/yellow color, it has a faint odor, and feels dense.
-The alcohol is a liquid with a foggy white/clear color, it has a strong chemical odor, and doesnt feel very
dense.
-The CO2 gas is odorless, colorless, and I could not tell its density.
a. Data table
Substance

Phase

Mass

Volume

Density

Wood cube

Solid

21 grams

27 cm3

0.778 g/cm3

Lava rock

Solid

10 grams

4 cm3

2.5 g/cm3

Cork

Solid

4 grams

14.137 cm3

0.283 g/cm3

Oil

Liquid

19.9 grams

25 mL

0.796 g/mL

Alcohol

Liquid

20.3 grams

25 mL

0.812 g/mL

CO2 Gas

Gas

0.8 grams

1001.676 cm3

0.000799 g/cm3

The

densities of different substances

B. Diagram of the experiment

Find mass of wooden cube and record in grams.

To find volume, measure length, width, and height
And multiply together. Record in centimeters
cubed. Then use mass divided by volume to find the density.
Record this in grams/centimeters cubed.

scale

Analysis
Through this investigation, I learned that densities differ depending on what state of matter the
substance is in. These results show that based on the state of matter and how close the particles are in a
substance effects if its dense or not. Solids, like the wooden cube, lava rock, and the cork were, on
average, the most dense, because the particles in solid form are tightly packed together. The oil and
alcohol, or the liquids, were slightly less dense than the solids but more dense than the gases--the liquid
particles are more spread out than solids, so it was less dense than the solids. The CO2 gas was
significantly less dense than the other substances because its particles were so spread out because it is a
gas.These results were what I expected they would be based on my hypothesis, and because I knew about
particle structure and how it relates to density before doing this investigation. The most important data of
this investigation was the densities of the substances, because this is what I was comparing the different
substances on. The density data was what helped support and prove my hypothesis. When we planned out

our experiment, we should have written down the processes and procedures in less steps, and more simply
because this would of helped us get our investigation done faster. We could have also written down every
number we calculated, not just mass, density and volume, because this would have made our investigation
more thorough.
Conclusion
This investigation was to find out how the state of matter a substance is in affects its density. I
recorded the densities of different substances in my data table. My data table shows that when you
average up the densities of the solids, liquids, and gases, the solids are the most dense, the liquids are less
dense than the solids but more dense that the gas, and the gas is the least dense. This shows that particle
structure, and how tightly packed particles are affects a substance's density. Solids are the most tightly
packed, and solids were the most dense. Liquids were in the middle, and the average density of the liquids
were in between the solids and the gas. The gas particles are very spread out and the gas was the least
dense. This data is important because it proves my hypothesis correct that densities would vary
depending on state of matter.