Name: ___________________ Period: ____

Density Lab
Background: Mass is the amount of matter that something has in it. Mass can be measured on a scale
or a balance. Volume is the amount of space that is taken up by something. Water displacement is one
way to determine the volume of a solid. When an object is placed in water, the amount of water it
displaces, is the volume of the object. From the mass and volume of the object its density can then be
calculated using the equation D = m/v. Density is a measure of how much mass fills a given amount of
space. Note: 1 mL = 1 cm3
As a Class: More Dense Less Dense

Part 1: Class Practice

Materials:
• 3 pennies • Graduated Cylinder
• Scale • Calculator

Instructions:
1. Determine the mass of the 3 pennies on the scale.
a. Mass = ____________ g
2. Determine the volume of the 3 pennies.
a. Fill the graduated cylinder to the 50 mL mark with water.
b. Record the amount.
i. initial volume = ______________mL
c. Carefully add the 3 pennies to the cylinder. Do not allow any water to splash out.
d. Observe the new level of water. Record the new water level in your table
i. final volume = ________________ mL
e. Calculate the difference between the final volume and the initial. The difference is the
volume of the 3 pennies.
i. final volume – initial volume = ____________ mL or cm3
3. Calculate the density of the 3 pennies.
a. Divide the mass of the 3 pennies by the volume of the 3 pennies found in 2ei.
Mass
i. Density = --------- = _________ g = ____________ g/cm3
Volume cm3

Part 2: On Your Own

Make your own experiment! Follow the previous steps to determine the densities of different objects or
the density of the same object in different amounts. Possible sentence starter for your hypothesis: I
think that … will be more dense than …

Hypothesis:
 Name: ___________________ Period: ____

Object & Mass (g) Final Water Initial Water Volume Density of
Quantity Volume (mL) Volume (mL) of Object the Object

Trial # 1
Trial # 2
Average Density:
Trial # 1
Trail # 2
Average Density:

Analysis: Create a graph that displays this data appropriately. DON’T FORGET TO PUT A TITLE AND LABEL
YOUR AXIS!

Why do you think the data showed this?

Conclusion: Should we reject or accept your hypothesis why or why not?