TITLE PAGE

 The title of the experiment

Explore the concept of density through different activities

 Your name

Alicia Rivera

 Your instructor's name

Shelia Fox

 The date the report was submitted.

May 10, 2020
Title:

Explore the concept of density through different activities.

Objectives:

• Calculate the densities of regular solids.

• Determine the densities of solutions by plotting mass versus volume.

• Predict whether objects will sink or float in different solutions based on the densities of the solutions and

objects.

• Determine the concentration of sucrose in a beverage based on a graph of known sucrose concentration

densities.

Background

Density

Density is a physical property of matter that is based on mass and volume of the substance. Mass and volume are

extensive properties, meaning that they are dependent on the quantity of matter.

However, density is an intensive property and does not change with quantity. Density is a derived unit, meaning

that it is composed of two basic units. Density can be defined as mass per unit of volume. The mathematical

expression for density is

D = M/V,

in which mass (M) is expressed in grams (g), and volume (V) is expressed in cubic centimeters (cm3). Milliliter

(mL) units may replace cm3 when describing liquids, because the two units are fundamentally equivalent.
Materials

Included in the
Needed from the equipment kit:
materials kit:

Polyethylene Acrylic cylinder Graduat Pipet Spoons

Electron
cylinder (white) (clear) ed s
ic

cylinder balance

50-mL
Aluminum cylinder materials

(silver) kit:

• Polyethyle

ne
Weighing Plastic
cylinder
boats cups
(white)

• Acrylic

cylinder

(clear)

• Aluminum

cylinder

(silver) Ruler

Included in the
 Wax l

penci

Needed from the equipment kit:

Graduated cylinder 50-mLElectronic balance

Rule

Pipets

Weighing boats

Spoons

Plastic cups
Needed but not supplied:

• Sugar (sucrose, C12H22O12), 250 g

• Water (bottled or purified), 1 L

• Non-diet beverage containing natural sugar, 100 mL

• Graphing program (such as Microsoft Excel®)

 Safety

Safety goggles should be worn during this investigation. There are no additional safety concerns.

Observe established laboratory safety practices, including the use of appropriate personal protective equipment

(PPE) as described in the Safety and Procedure sections.

Do not eat, drink, or chew gum during this activity. Wash your hands with soap and water before and after the

activity. Clean the work area with soap and water after completing the investigation. Keep pets and children

away from lab materials and equipment.

ACTIVITY 1

Determining the Densities of Regular Solids

1. Using a balance, measure the mass of each cylinder in grams. Record the results in the Activity 1 Data Sheet.

2. Using a ruler, measure the height (h) and diameter (d) of each cylinder in

centimeters.

Record these measurements in Table 1.

3. The diameter of a circle is equal to twice its radius.

(d = 2r or r = d ⁄ 2). Find the radius of each cylinder by dividing the diameter of the circle by 2.

4. Record these dimensions in Table

5. Calculate the volume of each cylinder using the equation V = πr2h. The approximate value of π is 3.14.

6. Calculate the density of each cylinder by dividing its measured mass by its calculated volume (D = M/V).
7. Record the results in Table 1
 d

Figure 1. Dimensions of a cylinder

Table 1: Activity 1 Data Table

Cylinder Type Mass (g) Height Diameter Radius Calculated Density

(cm) (cm) (cm) Volume (g/cm3)

(cm3)
Aluminum (silver) 4.39 1.2 1.2 .6 4.52 .97
Acrylic (clear) 1.93 1.2 1.2 .6 4.52 .42
Polyethylene (white) 1.55 1.2 1.2 .6 4.52 .34
ACTIVITY 2

Determining the Densities of Solutions

1. Weigh an empty 50-mL graduated cylinder. Record the mass in Table 2.

2. Add 5 mL of water (0% sucrose) to the 50-mL graduated cylinder. Use the pipet to add or remove small

quantities of liquid so that the water is exactly at the 5-mL mark.

3. Record the total mass of the liquid and graduated cylinder and liquid in Table 2.

4. Add more water until the cylinder contains 10 mL volume. Use the appropriate pipet to adjust the volume.

5. Record the total mass in Table 2.

6. Continue adding water in increments of 5 mL, and determine the mass of 15 mL, 20 mL, and 25 mL water.

Record all of the data in Table 2.

7. Calculate the corresponding mass for each volume of water and record this information in Table 3.

8. Use a graphing program to create a scatter- plot graph with the mass of the solution on the y-axis and the

volume of the solution on the x-axis.

9. On the graph, create a best-fit line (linear trend line) based on the data points

10. Determine the slope from the equation of the best-fit line, and record the value. This is the density of the

solution. The units will be in g/mL. Record the slope (average density) for water in Table 3.

11. Return the solution to the appropriately labeled cup.

12. Rinse the graduated cylinder with purified water, and shake out any remaining water droplets.

13. Shake any solution out of the pipet so that it is dry.

14. Repeat steps 1–13 for each of the sucrose solutions (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60%).

15. Plot all of the data on the same graph. At the end of Activity 2, there should be seven sets of data with

seven best-fit lines on one grape.

Table 2: Density Data Table

Percentage of Volume (mL) Mass of Solution + Mass of Mass of

Sucrose in Solution Graduated Cylinder (g) Cylinder (g) Solution (g)

5 34.36 29.81 4.55
10 39.28 29.81 9.47
0% 15 44.62 29.81 14.81
20 49.57 29.81 19.76
25 54.06 29.81 24.25
5 34.58 29.81 4.77
10 39.63 29.81 9.82
10 15 45.20 29.81 15.39
20 50.17 29.81 20.36
%
25 55.41 29.81 25.6
5 34.78 29.81 4.97
10 40.41 29.81 10.6
20 15 45.93 29.81 16.12
20 51.59 29.81 21.78
%
25 56.68 29.81 26.87
5 35.54 29.77 5.77
10 40.98 29.77 11.21
30 15 46.64 29.77 16.87
20 52.65 29.77 22.88
%
25 57.80 29.77 28.04
5 35.53 29.78 5.75
10 41.57 29.78 11.79
40 15 47.52 29.78 17.74
20 53.45 29.78 23.67
%
25 59.42 29.78 29.64
5 36.24 29.80 6.44
10 42.13 29.80 12.33
15 48.45 29.80 18.65
 20 54.41 29.80 24.61
50
25 60.39 29.80 30.59
%
ACTIVITY 2: continued

Table 2: Density Data Table (continued)

Percentage of Volume (mL) Mass of Solution + Mass of Mass of

Sucrose in Solution Graduated Cylinder (g) Cylinder (g) Solution (g)

5 36.73 29.81 6.92
10 43.01 29.81 13.2
60 15 49.14 29.81 19.33
20 55.86 29.81 26.05
%
25 62.01 29.81 32.2

ACTIVITY 3

Will It Sink or Float?

1. Based on the calculated densities of the cylinders and solutions, predict whether each cylinder will float or

sink in each of the sucrose solutions and water. Record the predictions in Table 4.

2. Test the predictions by placing the aluminum (silver-colored) cylinder in at least the following two solutions:

the solution in which you predict the aluminum is most likely to sink, and the one in which you predict the

aluminum is most likely to float.

4. If the predictions were incorrect, test the aluminum cylinders in other solutions.

5. Repeat steps 1–4 for the acrylic (colorless) and polyethylene (white) cylinders.

6. After testing the cylinders, rinse them with fresh water and dry them.

Table 4: Will It Sink or Float Activity

Sucrose Predictions Observations

Aluminum Acrylic Polyethylene Aluminum Acrylic Polyethylene
Solution
Cylinder Cylinder Cylinder Cylinder Cylinder Cylinder
0%
sink sink float sink sink sink
10
sink sink float sink sink float
%
20
sink sink float sink sink float
%
30
sink sink float sink sink float
%
40
sink sink float sink sink float
%
50
sink sink float sink float float
%
60
sink sink float sink float float
%
Activity 4

Determination of the Sugar Content in a Beverage

1. Use a graphing program and the data from Activity 2 to create a scatter-plot of Sucrose Percentage

versus Density.

2. Use the same procedure as that of Activity 2 to determine the mass of 5 mL, 10 mL, 15 mL, 20 mL, and 25

mL of the beverage.

3. Record all of the data in Table 5.

4. Use a graphing program to plot the mass of the solution on the y-axis and the volume of the solution on the x-

axis.

5. On the graph, draw a best-fit line through allof the points.

6. Determine the slope of the best-fit line and read the value. This is an average of all five data points with

units in g/mL.

7. Record the slope (average density) below the data table.

8. Use the graph created in step 1 to determine the percentage of sucrose in the beverage.

9. Determine the density of the beverage from the y-axis.

10. Draw a horizontal line from this point across the graph until it intercepts the best-fit line.

11. Draw a vertical line from the intersection of the horizontal line and best-fit line to the

12. x-axis.

13. Record the percentage of sucrose from the intersection of the vertical line and the x-axis. This is the

percentage of sucrose in the beverage

.
 table 5: Determination of Sugar in a Beverage Data

Volume Mass of Beverage and Mass of Cylinder Mass of Beverage

(mL) Graduated Cylinder (g) (g) (g)

5%

35.09 29.86 5.23

10%

39.21 29.86 9.35

15%

44.65 29.86 14.79

20%

50.47 29.86 20.61

25%

55.97 29.86 26.11

Pre-laboratory Question

1. What is density?
 Answer: Density is a “physical property of matter that is based on mass and volume of the substance.”

2. What are the densities of the following substances given the following masses and volumes?

Answer:

Volum Densit
Mass
e y
Oak 12.2 18.8 .648
Nylon 9 10 .9
PVC 100 74 1.35
Titaniu
51 12.4 4.11
m
Copper 22 2.5 8.8
Mercury 6 0.45 13.33
Laboratory Questions

1. What happens to the density of a solution as the concentration of sucrose increases?

Answer: The density of the solution increases when the concentration of sucrose increases.

2. The accepted densities for the cylinders used in Activity 1 are shown in the table below. How do these numbers

compare to the calculated values? What sources of error could cause the differences?

Answer:

Substance Density (g/cm3)

Aluminum 2.7
Acrylic 1.2
Polyethylene 0.9

The density in the labs decreased compared to the ones on top.

3. In Activity 4, the percentage of sucrose in a beverage was determined using density, however many

commercial beverages are made with high fructose corn syrup and not sucrose. Even beverages such as juice

are not primarily sucrose.

a. Is the percentage concentration of sucrose determined in this activity accurate? Why or why not? If

it is not, what could be done to make it more accurate?

 Answer: It is determined accurate, because the density is more present than fructose corn syrup.

b. Beyond sucrose type, what other confounding factors may exist in the determination of percentage

concentration of sucrose? What were potential sources of error?

Answer: The other type of chemicals that go into beverages. My beverage had fruit pulp so that made a

difference.
Discussion Questions

c. People float in saltwater more easily than they do in freshwater. Likewise, some objects that sink in freshwater

will float in saltwater. Based on these facts, what can be inferred about the density of saltwater and the density

of freshwater? Explain the conclusion.

Answer: People float in saltwater more because the salt in the water makes the water denser. The surface gets

dense allowing objects to float in salt water.

d. When ice melts in a glass of regular soda without being disturbed, the following observations can be made: (1) the ice

floats in the soda, (2) water from melted ice remains above the soda, and (3) the ice floats in the water. What can be

inferred about the relative densities of ice, water, and regular soda?

Answer: Due to the density of the soda and ice it allows the ice to float. One the ice melts the density of the soda still allows

the remaining water to float.

e. A crude oil spill from a deep-water drilling platform is always possible. The density of crude oil ranges from

0.8 g/cm3 to 0.9 g/cm3. How might the density of crude oil affect its impact on wildlife, both aquatic and

terrestrial? How might its density affect clean-up operations? How might the density of crude oil affect

potential fires?
Answer: It can affect the wildlife, because the animals swim through it. The chemicals is bad for coral reefs, fish

who eat other fish, and the surrounding habitation gets ruined. It can affect potential fires, because crude oil isn’t

something that can just be picked up. This affects the clean-up operations by not allowing them to clean 100%.

Video Link:

https://youtu.be/-hDBFMWJn6g