Egg density Experiment
Density = mass/volume
The basic definition of matter is “anything that has mass and takes up space (has volume).” So a
fundamental question about any substance is: how much space does a given amount (mass) of a
substance take up? This question is answered by a quantity we call density, which essentially
states mass on a “per unit volume basis.”
In this quick lab, you will estimate the density of an egg using salt water. Your goal is to
determine how much salt it takes to float an egg up just to the surface of a small amount of water.
We will assume that the initial density of water that you use is 1 g/ml.
Materials
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2-cup measuring cup (or similarly-sized clear container)
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water
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salt
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egg
Procedure
1. Place 1.5 cups of water into the measuring cup
2. Note the water level (use a sharpie to mark water level, if you are not using a measuring cup)
3. Carefully place an uncooked egg in the water, and observe whether or not it floats
4. Remove the egg, and increase the density of the water:
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and add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water
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mix well
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note any volume change
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the egg just floats (floats just below the surface of the water).
6. Calculate new volume of the water
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Measure how much the volume changed by removing water ½ tsp at a time until the water
level matches initial water level.
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Record number of teaspoons removed, and convert to cups (1 tsp = 0.0208333 cups)
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Add that amount to 1.5 (initial water volume) to arrive at the new water volume
7. Calculate the mass of the saltwater
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Calculate the mass of the initial 1.5 cups of water, given that the density of water is 1 g/ml
(1 cup = 236.588ml)
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Calculate the mass of salt added. (mass of 1 teaspoon of salt is approximately 5.69 g)
8. Calculate density of saltwater solution = mass/volume.
Data: Density of solution
Initial: ________1 g/ml_________
Final: Final volume: _________________________ (initial volume + change in volume)
Final mass __________________________ (mass of water + mass of salt)
Final density ________________________ (mass/volume)