Earth Science
Name______________________________
Chapter 0
Period______________________________
Worksheet
Date_______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Density
Background
An important property of matter which scientists use in distinguishing one substance from another is
density. Density is the mass of a certain volume of a substance. That volume is usually 1 milliliter (mL).
The mass we will be using in class is the metric standard called the gram (g). Density can also be defined as
the number of grams of a substance for a volume of 1 milliliter (g/mL). Solids, liquids, and gases all have
their own density. The densities of some common materials are listed below.
In order to find the density of any object or substance you need only to divide the mass of the substance by
the volume of that substance in milliliters (mL) or cubic centimeters (cm3).
Mass (g)
Density = ----------------------------Volume (mL or cm3)
Comparing Densities (0.25 points each)
Study the list of densities of some common materials below and answer the questions that follow.
1. Which substance is the most dense?
2. Which substance is least dense?
3. According to this table, are solids generally more or less dense than
liquids?
4. What is more dense than aluminum but less dense than iron?
5. What substance has a density of 1 g/mL?
6. What substance has a density twice that of water?
7. List any two substances that have the same density.
8. Liquids on the list are those listed from water to Carbon
Tetrachloride. List those five liquids from least dense to most dense.
Density of an Irregularly Shaped Object (0.5 points)
9. With the help of the equipment shown in the picture,
describe how you would determine the density of an
irregularly shaped object.
Densities of Some
Common Materials
Material
Density
(g/cm3)
Aluminum
Iron
Wood (rock elm)
Brass
Cork
Magnesium
Paraffin
Water
Olive oil
Alcohol
Glycerin
Carbon Tetrachloride
Limestone
Quartz
Sulfur
2.7
7.8
0.8
8.5
0.2
1.7
0.9
1.0
0.9
0.8
1.3
1.6
2.9
2.6
2.0
Density(0.5 points each)
Use the figure and your knowledge of mass, volume, and density to answer the following questions.
10. List objects A, B, and C in order from the object with the highest density to that with the lowest
density. Explain how you determined your answer.
11. Object B is 2 cm long, 2 cm wide, and 2 cm high. What is its volume?
12. The liquid labeled C is water, which has a density of 1 g/cm3. There are 35 mL of water in the beaker.
What is the total mass of the water in the beaker?
13. Describe a simple experiment you could use to determine if object D has a density that is less than or
greater than water.
14. The volume of object A is 10 cm3. Its mass is 26 grams. What is the density of object A?