Dhruv Arora Physics IA-DENSITY IBDP-1

REASEARCH QUESTION:
How does the mass effect the Volume occupied by the liquid?

INTRODUCTION
Density is a measurement that compares the amount of matter an object has to its volume. An object with much
matter in a certain volume has high density. ... Density is found by dividing the mass of an object by its volume.

Density, mass of a unit volume of a material substance. The formula for density is d = M/V, where d is density, M is
mass, and V is volume. Density is commonly expressed in units of grams per cubic centimeter. For example, the
density of water is 1 gram per cubic centimeter, and Earth’s density is 5.51 grams per cubic centimeter. Density can
also be expressed as kilograms per cubic meter (in MKS or SI units). For example, the density of air is 1.2 kilograms
per cubic meter. The densities of common solids, liquids, and gases are listed in textbooks and handbooks. Density
offers a convenient means of obtaining the mass of a body from its volume or vice versa; the mass is equal to the
volume multiplied by the density (M = Vd), while the volume is equal to the mass divided by the density (V = M/d).
The weight of a body, which is usually of more practical interest than its mass, can be obtained by multiplying the
mass by the acceleration of gravity. Tables that list the weight per unit volume of substances are also available; this
quantity has various titles, such as weight density, specific weight, or unit weight. See also specific gravity. The
expression particle density refers to the number of particles per unit volume, not to the density of a single particle,
and it is usually expressed as n.

Ice which is in solid state has a higher density than water in the liquid state, so that’s why ice cube floats on water.
As the temperature rises things usually become less dense.

Theatrical Background:
ARCHIMEDES: the one who found “Density”
This is a story about how the concept of density was first "discovered." It is the story of a Greek mathematician
named Archimedes who lived around 250 B.C. The King of Syracuse, where Archimedes lived, thought that he was
being cheated by the metal craftsman who made his golden crown.

Archimedes thought long and hard but could not find a method for proving that the crown was not solid gold. Soon
after, he filled a bathtub and noticed that water spilled over the edge as he got in and he realized that the water
displaced by his body was equal to the weight of his body. Knowing that gold was heavier than other metals the
crown maker could have substituted in, Archimedes had his method to determine that the crown was not pure gold.
Forgetting that he was undressed, he went running naked down the streets from his home to the king shouting
"Eureka!”

The Archimedes principle

The Archimedes principle states that the buoyant force on an object submerged in a fluid is equal to the weight of
the fluid that is displaced by that object.

If a glass is filled to the top with water and then ice cubes are added to it, what happens? Just like the water spilled
over the edge when Archimedes entered his bathtub, the water in the glass will spill over when ice cubes are added
to it. If the water that spilled out were weighed (weight is a downward force), it would equal the upward (buoyant)
force on the object. From the buoyant force, the volume or average density of the object can be determined.

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 Dhruv Arora Physics IA-DENSITY IBDP-1

Archimedes was able to determine that the crown was not pure gold due to the volume of the displaced water,
because even though the weight of the crown was identical to the weight of the gold that the king gave the crown
maker, the volume was different due the various densities of the metals.

Uses of the Archimedes principle

The Archimedes principle is a very useful and versatile tool. It can be useful in measuring the volume of irregular
objects, such as gold crowns, as well as explaining the behaviours of any object placed in any fluid. Archimedes'
principle describes how ships float, submarines dive, hot air balloons fly, and many others examples. The
Archimedes principle is also used in a large variety of scientific research subjects including medical, engineering,
entomology, engineering, and geology.

Density = Mass/Volume

Density is defined as the ratio of an object's mass to its volume, as shown in the equation above. Because it is a ratio,
the density of a material remains the same without regard to how much of that material is present. Density is
therefore called an intensive property of matter. Mass is the amount of matter contained in an object and is
commonly measured in units of grams (g). Volume is the amount of space taken up by a quantity of matter and is
commonly expressed in cubic centimeters (cm3) or in milliliters (ml) (1cm3 = 1 ml). Therefore, common units used
to express density are grams per milliliters (g/ml) and grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3).
Let's look at an example. A typical brick has a mass of 2,268 g and occupies a volume of 1,230 cm3. Using the
equation above, we can calculate the density of the brick:
Densitybrick = massbrick/volumebrick
Densitybrick = 2,268 g/1,230 cm3
Densitybrick = 1.84 g/cm3

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 Dhruv Arora Physics IA-DENSITY IBDP-1

Density can sometimes be confused in our minds with weight because the denser of two equal-volume objects will
be heavier. Remember, though, that it is the relationship between mass and volume that determines density and not
volume or mass alone, or even how closely packed the atoms or molecules are. Look at Table 1 for examples of the
density of common substances.

The density of a material is strongly connected to other intensive properties, particularly temperature (see our
Temperature module). Many materials expand when they are heated. Because a material that expands takes up a
larger volume, its density decreases. This phenomenon occurs in all forms of matter: for example, solids, liquids,
and gases. The tightly coupled relationship between density and temperature explains how hot air balloons work.
When the air inside of a balloon is heated it expands and its density decreases. The balloon thus gains positive
buoyancy with respect to the colder air surrounding it, and it floats into the sky.
Density is a fundamental physical property of matter. It is commonly used as a means of categorizing and
identifying different materials. In addition, a thorough understanding of the concept of density is critical for building
ships and lighter-than-air craft such as hot air balloon

RELATIVE DENSITY:
Relative density (RD) is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water. It is also known as specific
gravity (SG). Because it is a ratio, relative density or specific gravity is a unitless value. If its value is less than 1,
then the substance is less dense than water and would float. If relative density is exactly 1, the density is the same as
water. If RD is greater than 1, the density is greater than that of water and the substance would sink.

Examples

 The relative density of pure water at 4 C is 1.

 The relative density of balsa wood is 0.2. Balsa is lighter than water and floats on it.
 The relative density of iron is 7.87. Iron is heavier than water and sinks.

Calculation

When determining relative density, the temperature and pressure of the sample and reference should be specified.
Usually the pressure is 1 am or 101.325 Pa.

The basic formula for RD or SG is:

RD = ρsubstance / ρreference
If a difference reference is not identified, it may be assumed to be water at 4 °C.

Instruments used to measure relative density include hydrometers and pycnometers. In addition, digital density
meters may be used, based on a variety of principles.

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 Dhruv Arora Physics IA-DENSITY IBDP-1

RAW DATA TABLE

No Of Balls Mass In Grams Volume Of The Water Average Error In The Ln(M) Ln(V) Error In
Volume Volume Ln(V)
Of Each
Ball
V1 V2 V3
1 28.91 4.50 4.25 4.00 4.25 0.25 -3.54 -12.37 0.12

2 57.82 8.00 8.25 7.50 7.83 0.25 -2.85 -11.76 0.06

Mass and Average Volume Graph

9
Average volume of each ball

8 y = 0.1239x + 0.6667
R² = 1
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00
Mass in grams

y = 0.8822x - 9.2426
R² = 1 -11.70
-3.70 -3.50 -3.30 -3.10 -2.90 -2.70 -2.50
-11.80

-11.90

-12.00

-12.10

-12.20

-12.30

-12.40

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Dhruv Arora Physics IA-DENSITY IBDP-1

Density = Mass /Volume

So ρ1= 28.91/4.50 or 28.91/4.25 or 28.91/4.00

Therefore, ρ1 =6.42 or 6.80 or 7.23

Ρ2=57.82/8 or 57.82/7.75 or 57.82/7.50

Therefore, ρ2 =7.83 or 7.46 or 7.71

PROCEDURE:
 Record the initial water level
 Put the ball in the water
 Record the final water level
 Find the volume of ball
 Then calculate its average volume
 Find out density using the formula:
 Density = mass/volume

PRECAUTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS REQUIRED:

 Select a spring balance without zero error.
 When an object is immersed in water, see that it does not touch the walls of the measuring cylinder.
 while observing the readings of a liquid in measuring cylinder, always look at the lower meniscus of water
level for readings.

APPARATUS USED:
 Weighing scale
 Scale
 Beaker