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  • Define density.
  • Calculate the mass of a reservoir from its density.
  • Compare and contrast the densities of various substances.

Which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks? This old riddle plays with the distinction between mass and density. A ton is a ton, of course; but bricks have much greater density than feathers, and so we are tempted to think of them as heavier. (See [link] .)

Density , as you will see, is an important characteristic of substances. It is crucial, for example, in determining whether an object sinks or floats in a fluid. Density is the mass per unit volume of a substance or object. In equation form, density is defined as

ρ = m V , size 12{ρ= { {m} over {V} } } {}

where the Greek letter ρ size 12{ρ} {} (rho) is the symbol for density, m size 12{m} {} is the mass, and V size 12{V} {} is the volume occupied by the substance.

Density

Density is mass per unit volume.

ρ = m V , size 12{ρ= { {m} over {V} } } {}

where ρ size 12{ρ} {} is the symbol for density, m size 12{m} {} is the mass, and V size 12{V} {} is the volume occupied by the substance.

In the riddle regarding the feathers and bricks, the masses are the same, but the volume occupied by the feathers is much greater, since their density is much lower. The SI unit of density is kg/m 3 size 12{"kg/m" rSup { size 8{3} } } {} , representative values are given in [link] . The metric system was originally devised so that water would have a density of 1 g/cm 3 size 12{1`"g/cm" rSup { size 8{3} } } {} , equivalent to 10 3 kg/m 3 size 12{"10" rSup { size 8{3} } `"kg/m" rSup { size 8{3} } } {} . Thus the basic mass unit, the kilogram, was first devised to be the mass of 1000 mL of water, which has a volume of 1000 cm 3 .

Densities of various substances
Substance ρ ( 10 3 kg/m 3 or g/mL ) size 12{ρ` \( "10" rSup { size 8{3} } `"kg/m" rSup { size 8{3} } `"or"`"g/mL" \) } {} Substance ρ ( 10 3 kg/m 3 or g/mL ) size 12{ρ` \( "10" rSup { size 8{3} } `"kg/m" rSup { size 8{3} } `"or"`"g/mL" \) } {} Substance ρ ( 10 3 kg/m 3 or g/mL ) size 12{ρ` \( "10" rSup { size 8{3} } `"kg/m" rSup { size 8{3} } `"or"`"g/mL" \) } {}
Solids Liquids Gases
Aluminum 2.7 Water (4ºC) 1.000 Air 1 . 29 × 10 3 size 12{1 "." "29" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Brass 8.44 Blood 1.05 Carbon dioxide 1 . 98 × 10 3 size 12{1 "." "98" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Copper (average) 8.8 Sea water 1.025 Carbon monoxide 1 . 25 × 10 3 size 12{1 "." "25" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Gold 19.32 Mercury 13.6 Hydrogen 0 . 090 × 10 3 size 12{0 "." "090" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Iron or steel 7.8 Ethyl alcohol 0.79 Helium 0 . 18 × 10 3 size 12{0 "." "18" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Lead 11.3 Petrol 0.68 Methane 0 . 72 × 10 3 size 12{0 "." "72" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Polystyrene 0.10 Glycerin 1.26 Nitrogen 1 . 25 × 10 3 size 12{1 "." "25" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Tungsten 19.30 Olive oil 0.92 Nitrous oxide 1 . 98 × 10 3 size 12{1 "." "98" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Uranium 18.70 Oxygen 1 . 43 × 10 3 size 12{1 "." "43" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Concrete 2.30–3.0 Steam 100º C size 12{ left ("100""°C" right )} {} 0 . 60 × 10 3 size 12{0 "." "60" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 3} } } {}
Cork 0.24
Glass, common (average) 2.6
Granite 2.7
Earth’s crust 3.3
Wood 0.3–0.9
Ice (0°C) 0.917
Bone 1.7–2.0
A pile of feathers measuring a ton and a ton of bricks are placed on either side of a plank that is balanced on a small support.
A ton of feathers and a ton of bricks have the same mass, but the feathers make a much bigger pile because they have a much lower density.

As you can see by examining [link] , the density of an object may help identify its composition. The density of gold, for example, is about 2.5 times the density of iron, which is about 2.5 times the density of aluminum. Density also reveals something about the phase of the matter and its substructure. Notice that the densities of liquids and solids are roughly comparable, consistent with the fact that their atoms are in close contact. The densities of gases are much less than those of liquids and solids, because the atoms in gases are separated by large amounts of empty space.

Take-home experiment sugar and salt

A pile of sugar and a pile of salt look pretty similar, but which weighs more? If the volumes of both piles are the same, any difference in mass is due to their different densities (including the air space between crystals). Which do you think has the greater density? What values did you find? What method did you use to determine these values?

Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
Aislinn Reply
cm
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what is physics
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Can you compute that for me. Ty
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what is viscosity?
David
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what is chemistry
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what is inorganic
emma
Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
Adjei
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Adjanou
chemistry could also be understood like the sexual attraction/repulsion of the male and female elements. the reaction varies depending on the energy differences of each given gender. + masculine -female.
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2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
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Samuel Reply
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
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answer
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progressive wave
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fine, how about you?
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hi
Mujahid
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
yasuo Reply
Who can show me the full solution in this problem?
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Source:  OpenStax, Concepts of physics. OpenStax CNX. Aug 25, 2015 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11738/1.5
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