Density of substances
To determine the density of some liquid and solid substances by measuring volumes and masses.
What students learn
The science behind this experiment
Density is a fundamental property of matter which depends on the state of aggregation and varies with temperature. It is a function of both mass and volume, defined as the ratio of mass to volume.
Density is a property of matter defined as the ratio of mass to volume.
Density depends on the state of aggregation of matter. For example diamond and graphite have different densities but both are composed of carbon. Density also depends on temperature. For example, an ice cube has a different density than a volume of water with the same mass as the ice cube.
Equipment used
- Graduated glass cylinder 100 ml — 1226.16
- Beaker 100 ml — 1118.20
- Electronic balance — 2219.30
Chemicals and reagents
- Distilled water
- Glycerol
- A solid object
- An ice cube
Safety notes
- No particular notes on this experiment.
Questions for students
- From the recorded data, calculate the density of the substances.
- Compare the density of ice with the density of water. Do you think other substances behave in the same way when frozen?
- Should you have calculated the ice cube volume by immersing it into the cylinder? Why?
What to expect
Disposal
Add an equal volume of warm water to the glycerol and dispose of the solution into the liquid wastes container.
Run this experiment in your classroom
This experiment is part of the ATP Mobile Lab — a self-contained laboratory that turns an ordinary classroom into a working science lab, with over 200 experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, robotics and engineering. Gali, the AI tutor built into ATP Connect, guides students through each step and answers their questions at the bench.
See the Mobile LabTalk to our team