Name ________________________________________ Class Period ____________ Date ______________
(4 points)
Densities of Substances in the Earth
A Mathematical Lab
Problem: How does the actual density of each layer of the Earth compare to the average of the
densities of the components in each layer?
Research: Density is a measure of how compact a substance is.
It is determined by dividing mass by volume.
Layer
Density
Composition
Thickness
Temperature
Atmosphere 0.0013 g/mL
Air
16 km
14 °C
Water
1.0 g/mL
H20
Varies
17°C
Crust
2.7 – 3.0 g/mL
Minerals & Rocks 10-70 km
0 °C to 700 °C
Mantle
3.3 – 5.7 g/mL
Dense Rocks
2880-3200 km
500°C to 4000°C
Outer Core
9.0-12.0 g/mL
Liquid Fe & Ni
2100 km
2200°C to 5000 °C
Inner Core
12.7 – 13.0 g/mL Solid Fe & Ni
1400 km diameter
5000 °C
Hypothesis:
(12 points)
Procedure/Observations:
1. Solve the following problems for density. Label all units. (36 points)
Substance
Mass
Volume
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Fresh Water
Ice
Sea Water
Iron
Silicon
Magnesium
Calcium
Aluminum
Manganese
Sulfur
Nickel
0.4 g
0.9 g
633 g
633 g
1027 g
3699 g
706 g
1270 g
1223 g
710 g
4863 g
247 g
2857 g
320 mL
677 mL
633 mL
688 mL
1000 mL
470 mL
303 mL
747 mL
789 mL
263 mL
651 mL
126 mL
321 mL
Density
2.
Calculate the average density of each layer of the earth by adding up the densities of the
elements that compose it, then dividing that number by the number of elements. Show all math
problems. Label units. (24 points)
Layer
Composition
Density of Components
Average density?
Atmosphere Nitrogen
Oxygen
Hydrosphere Fresh water
Ice
Sea Water
Mantle
Oxygen
Iron
Silicon
Magnesium
Calcium
Aluminum
Manganese
Outer core
Iron
Nickel
Sulfur
Oxygen
Inner core
Iron
Nickel
Conclusion (12 points)
P.
H.
Analysis questions: (12 points)
1. How did your average densities compare with those from your notes on the densities of each of
earth’s layers?
2. The actual density of the outer core is 11.5 g/mL. The actual density of the inner core is 13
g/mL. The densest element found in either part is nickel, which has a density of 8.9 g/mL. How
can the densities be so much greater than their densest component?
3. Summarize what you learned in this activity.