Physical Science Chapter 6 Density Lab

Names Period .Date: .
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PURPOSE: Calculating the density of various materials.

MATERIALS: Paper, scissors, balance, graduated cylinder, straw, lead sample, brass sample, plastic sample, aluminum sample, wood sample.

1.Use scissors to cut a sheet of paper into 6 paper tray rectangles.

2.Label one for each sample and find its mass on the balance. Record this in the data table.

3.Find the mass of the sample and its paper tray. Record this in the data table.

4.Subtract the mass of the tray from the mass of the paper with sample to get the mass of the sample. Record this in the data table.

5.Add water to the graduated cylinder to a point about halfway full. Record this exact amount in
the data table.

6.Add the aluminum sample to the water in the graduated cylinder. Record the new volume in the
data table.

7.Subtract the starting volume from the volume of the water with sample. Record this as the
volume of the sample in the data table.

8.Divide the mass of the sample by the volume of the sample. This will give you the density of the
sample. Record this in the data table.

Data Table

Material / Mass of paper
tray (g) / Mass of tray & sample (g) / Mass of sample (g) / Volume of water to start (cm3) / Volume of water w/sample (cm3) / Volume of sample (cm3) / Density of sample (g/cm3)
aluminum
brass
lead
plastic
wood

Repeat steps 2 thru 8 for each material. The wood sample won’t sink, so push it down with a straw so it is barely under water before reading the graduated cylinder.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.What is the formula for Density?

2.List the samples in order from highest to lowest density.

3.Why do most of the material sink in water?

4.Why doesn’t the wood sink?

5.Graph the density of each material using a bar graph. Put the 5 different samples on the (x axis). Put density in g/cm3 on the (y axis) on the graph. Be sure to allow the highest and lowest densities to fit on the graph Color each bar a different color.