DENSITY

GRADE 8
SCIENCE
 Density, Volume and Mass

Density is the relationship between an object’s

volume and its mass.

Describes the crowdedness of atoms.

It is the degree of compactness

The more squished together atoms are, the more

dense the substance will be.

Unique for every substance!

 Volume & Mass

Volume is the amount of space the object occupies,

Mass is the amount of matter in a substance, often

measured with a balance scale (sort of like weight)

Weight is not the same as mass! Weight is the force

of gravity on an object
 Density and Temperature

As a substance is heated, it’s particles spread

out therefore lowering its density.

Place each state in order from LEAST dense to

MOST dense: Solid Gas Liquid
- Have more space between atoms;
LEAST DENSE
- Are LESS dense than liquid
- The attractive forces between atoms is not strong
enough to stop solids from pushing them apart.
- LESS dense than solids, but MORE dense than liquids
- Do not have a lot of space between atoms;
MOST DENSE - The most dense of all the sates
 The equation for density

Density is the mass of a substance divided by its volume:

 Solids = grams/cubic centimeters 

 Liquids = grams/milliliters

Formula to determine the volume of a rectangular solid:

Length x Width x Height
 Volume and Density

Question:
What is the density of an object with a mass of 10 g
and volume of 2 cm3?

Answer:
 Try It!

Complete the Density Worksheet 

 DENSITY POP QUIZ

1. C a l c u l a t e t h e d e n s i t y o f a b l o c k o f w o o d
measuring 5cm x 10cm x 12 cm. The mass of
this block is 45g. (/6)
2. K n o w i n g t h a t t h e d e n s i t y o f w a t e r i s
1.0g/cm3, would this block of wood sink or
float in water? (/1)
(NOTE* POINTS ARE GIVEN FOR THE EQUATIONS USED TO
CALCULATE BOTH VOLUME & DENSITY, PLUS ANSWERS GIVEN
WITH CORRECT UNITS!!)
/7
Methods to find the density of
solids
METHOD 1:
A REGULAR SHAPED OBJECT

1.USE A RULER TO MEASURE THE LENGTH (L), WIDTH

(W) AND HEIGHT (H) OF THE OBJECT.
2.PLACE THE OBJECT ON THE TOP PAN BALANCE AND
MEASURE ITS MASS.
3.CALCULATE THE VOLUME OF THE CUBE USING
(L X W X H ).
4.USE THE MEASUREMENTS TO CALCULATE THE DENSITY
OF THE OBJECT.
USING THE FORMULA DENSITY = MASS / VOLUME
Method 2:
An irregular shaped object

1.Place the object on the top pan balance and measure its mass.
2.Fill a measuring cylinder so that there is enough water to cover
the object when it is placed inside the cylinder.
3.Take the reading of the volume.
4.Carefully lower the object into the cylinder.
5.Take the new reading of the volume.
6.Subtract the original reading to obtain the volume of the
object.
7.Use the measurements to calculate the density of the stone.
Steps to find the density of
liquid
TO CALCULATE THE DENSITY
OF WATER YOU WILL NEED A
GRADUATED CYLINDER, A
SCALE OR BALANCE, AND
WATER.
GRADUATED CYLINDERS ARE
SPECIAL CONTAINERS THAT
HAVE LINES OR GRADATIONS
THAT ALLOW YOU TO
MEASURE A SPECIFIC
VOLUME OF LIQUID.
 IN ORDER TO FIND THE DENSITY,
YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE MASS
AND VOLUME OF THE LIQUID IN
QUESTION.
YOU WILL USE THE GRADUATED
CYLINDER TO OBTAIN THE MASS
OF THE WATER, BUT YOU HAVE TO
SUBTRACT OUT THE WEIGHT OF
THE GRADUATED CYLINDER SO
YOU KNOW YOU’RE ONLY
MEASURING THE MASS OF THE
WATER ITSELF.
TURN THE BALANCE ON AND MAKE
SURE IT IS SET TO ZERO.
PLACE THE DRY, EMPTY
GRADUATED CYLINDER ON THE
BALANCE.
RECORD THE MASS OF THE
CYLINDER IN GRAMS (G).
FOR EXAMPLE, LET’S SAY THE
EMPTY GRADUATED CYLINDER
WEIGHS 11 GRAMS.
IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MUCH
WATER YOU ADD, BUT BE SURE
TO NOTE THE EXACT AMOUNT.
READ THE VOLUME BY LOOKING
AT THE CYLINDER AT EYE LEVEL
AND RECORDING THE VOLUME
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
MENISCUS.

THE MENISCUS IS THE CURVE

OF THE LIQUID THAT YOU’LL
SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
WATER RIGHT AT EYE LEVEL.

THE VOLUME OF WATER IN THE

GRADUATED CYLINDER IS THE
VOLUME YOU WILL USE FOR
THE DENSITY CALCULATION.

LET’S SAY YOU FILLED THE

GRADUATED CYLINDER WITH 7.3
MILLILITERS (ML) OF VOLUME.
MAKE SURE THE BALANCE IS SET
TO ZERO AND WEIGH THE
GRADUATED CYLINDER FULL OF
WATER.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO SPILL ANY
OF THE WATER OUT OF THE TOP
WHEN YOU WEIGH IT.

IF YOU DO SPILL THE WATER,

TAKE NOTE OF THE NEW VOLUME
AND RE-WEIGH THE WATER-
FILLED GRADUATED CYLINDER.

FOR EXAMPLE, LET’S SAY THE

FULL GRADUATED CYLINDER
WEIGHS 18.3 GRAMS.
TO GET THE MASS OF THE WATER ONLY, YOU MUST
SUBTRACT OUT THE WEIGHT OF THE GRADUATED
CYLINDER.
THE RESULT IS THE MASS OF THE WATER IN THE
CYLINDER.
 Buoyancy

Buoyancy is the
tendency for materials
to sink or float in a
liquid
The upward force
exerted on objects in a
fluid is called buoyant
force.
 Buoyancy Continued…

Floating occurs
when an object does
not fall or sink

 The atoms of the fluid

exert a force in the opposite
direction of gravity
 Buoyancy Continued
What is AVERAGE DENSITY?
The total mass of an object
divided by its total volume
The shape of an object
can create an average
density that is less than
the fluid it is submerged
in
EXAMPLE:
A steel boat can float on
water even though steel is
more dense than water.
Buoyancy in Fish?

 The air bladder in fish

contains a mixture of air
and water

 The fish’s depth in the

water depends on how
much air is inside the sac.
 The more water in the sac
the lower the fish sinks.
 The more air in the sac the
higher the fish rises.

 This is how a submarine

works underwater!
 Archimedes

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mark-salata-how-taking-a-bath-led-to-archimedes-pr
inciple
 Archimedes

 Archimedes used water displacement to

determine the volume of the kings crown,
then he weighed it to find the mass.
 The volume of water displaced would be
equal to the volume of the crown.
Archimedes and the Crown

                                                                                           

Archimedes was a great scientist who lived more than 2000 years ago in a Greek
city called Syracuse. He was very clever at inventing and figuring out how things
work, so King Hiero needed his help many times.
 Density of gold 20 g/cm3 Density of silver 10 g/cm3
1cm3 of gold has a mass of 20 g 1cm3 of silver has a mass of 10 g

For the same volume, gold has more mass Silver has to have a bigger
volume to have an equal
mass to gold

The actual volume of the crown

was 150cm3 instead of 100cm3.
The mass of the crown was 2000g. It Was it pure gold ??
should have a volume of 100cm3
Calculating the Density of Irregularly Shaped Objects

If an object floats in water, we can

immediately conclude that it is less dense than
the water.

If we measure the volume of water displaced

by the object when it is placed into the
container of water, we can calculate the weight
of the object, because its weight will be equal
to the weight of the water it displaces.
 Example

Mass = 25.5 g
25.5 g

Volume = 18 – 5 = 13 mL
Water Water
level =
Density = m / V
level =
5 mL 18 mL
Density = ?
YOUR CHALLENGE:
Using Archimedes Principle:
1. Calculate the density of a marble
2. Calculate the density of your pen or
pencil
 Neutral Buoyancy

He also found that if the mass of an object is lighter

than the volume of water it displaces then it will
float.

When gravity = buoyancy, it is known as neutral

buoyancy.

Force of Gravity = Buoyant Force

In your notes, answer the following I CAN statements
1. I CAN write the formula for VOLUME (rectangular object):_________
2. I CAN write the formula for DENSITY:__________
3. I CAN give the units of measurement for density in a LIQUID:_____
4. I CAN give the units of measurement for density in a SOLID:_____
5. I CAN identify this force - the upward force exerted on objects
submerged in a fluid:________________
6. I CAN identify the following definition: this occurs when an object
does not fall in or sink in water, but remains suspended in the
fluid:________________
7. I CAN explain how objects that would otherwise sink (ex. Large
Ships), are able to float (1 sentence please)
8. I CAN rank Solids, Liquids and Gases in order of density from the
LEAST dense to the MOST dense: ________, ________, ________