Density and Buoyancy Unit Test
skb 12.9.10
1. Which are units of VOLUME? (more than one answer)
a. grams
b. pounds
c. kilograms
d. milliliters
e. cubic centimeters
f. pints.
2. Which units are used in the metric system to measure VOLUME? (more than one answer)
a. liters
b. grams
c. pounds
d. milliliters
e. pints
3. What is the volume of a cube of cheese that is 2inches wide by 3inches high, by 1 inch long?
____________________________(2)
4. A pig falls into a giant graduated cylinder. The starting volume is 100 gallons. After he’s underwater, the volume
reads 120 gallons. What’s the volume of the pig?
____________________________(2)
5. Which units are used in the metric system to measure MASS? (more than one answer)
a. grams
b. pounds
c. kilograms
d. milliliters
e. cubic centimeters
f. pints.
6. How many grams are in a kilogram?
________________(1)
7. How many ml are in a cc?
________________(1)
8. How many ml are in 1 liter (l)?
________________(1)
9. What is another, NON-metric measure of mass?
_______________________________(1)
10. What is DENSITY?
a. The amount of matter in an area.
b. How heavy something is
c. How big something is
d. How much matter is packed into a space.
11. What is the equation for calculating density?
12. How much will 10ml of water weigh?
________________________(2)
13. What is the density of water? Give units.
_______________________(2)
14. Which of these things will float when thrown into a fresh water lake?
Object
Density
a. a newly killed corpse
1.1g/cc
b. the decomposing corpse
0.9g/ml
c. the murder weapon (a nylon rope)
1.05kg/l
d. a skeleton
1.4kg/l
15. What order would you pour these liquids to make a layered cocktail?
a. Salt water first, freshwater, then oil
b. freshwater, saltwater, oil
c. oil, freshwater, saltwater
d. oil saltwater, freshwater.
16. Would you do better to throw your murder weapon into a salt water or freshwater lake if you wanted it to sink
out of sight?
a. saltwater because it’s denser and the weapon will sink through it better.
b. freshwater because it’s less dense so the weapon will be denser than the water and sink.
c. The murder weapon will sink the same in both so use which ever is nearest.
d. They deserved to die and the judge will let you off so it doesn’t matter.
17. A golf ball sinks in water. How much water does it displace?
a. The same volume of water as the volume of the golf ball.
b. The same weight of water as the weight of the golf ball.
c. More volume of water than the volume of the golf ball.
d. More weight of water than the weight of the golf ball.
18. A boat weighs 1,000kg. How much water will it displace? (more than one answer)
a. 1,000liters
b. 1,000kg
c. 1kg/l
d. 1,000ml
19. A piece of cork and a piece of iron have the same mass. Which will have the bigger VOLUME?
________________________________
20. Draw arrows to show the size and direction of the forces
acting on a ball of iron in water. Label the forces and direction
of motion.
21. Which object is more dense?
a. An object that sinks in water
b. The object that’s rising in the water
c. The densities of the two objects are the same.
d. The volumes of the two objects are the same.
e. The unsinking (unthinking) object is really dense 
22. A wine bottle with a message in it floats on the ocean because the water exerts (more than one answer).
a. an upward force equal to the weight of the bottle.
b. a downward force equal to the weight of the bottle.
c. an upward force equal to the weight of the displacement water.
d. a downward force equal to the weight of the displacement water.
e. because hope floats 
23. How can you tell if a ship is fully laden with oil just by looking at it?
a. You can’t tell.
b. The ship sinks down in the water as it takes on more oil.
c. The ship rises as it takes on more oil.
d. I don’t know, oil get back to you .
24. What happens to the weight of the tanker as it’s loaded with oil?
__________________________________
25. What happens to the amount of water displaced as the tanker is loaded?
a. The amount of water displaced increases as the weight of oil increases.
b. The amount of water displaced decreases as the weight of oil increases.
c. The weight of water displaced stays the same.
d. The amount of water displaced does not change or the boat will sink.
26*. What happens to the buoyant force as the tanker is loaded?
___________________________________
27*. The following table shows the properties of four sample materials. One of these is cork, a kind of wood that
floats on water. Which sample is most likely the cork?
Sample #
Mass
Volume
a.
89g
10ml
b.
26g
10ml
c.
24g
100ml
d.
160g
100ml
Explain:
______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________(2)
28. Why does hot air (or hot water) rise above colder fluid?
a. the hot fluid expands which causes it’s density to increase and float on the colder fluid.
b. the hot fluid contracts which causes it’s density to decrease and float on the colder fluid.
c. The hot fluid expands which causes it’s density to decrease and float on the colder, denser fluid.
d. Hot air always rises because it is hotter than cold air.
29. If you understand density and buoyancy, what else can you understand about earth systems?
i. ______________________________________________________________________(1)
ii. ______________________________________________________________________(1)
30. What is a problem with oil (crude oil, not salad oil!) that involves density and buoyancy?
___________________________________________________________________________________(2)
31. What are you still curious about in this unit?
__________________________________________________________________________________________(2)
32. How do you think you did? ________ Explain.
(2)
*Adapted from released STAR test items.