Density
... scale measures in grams it will need to be converted to kilograms. Density is found by dividing the mass of the object by its volume. Once you’ve found the density of the object you can compare it to the densities of other substances to find out what your object is made of. You can use the density number you found and the accurate density number for your substance to figure out the percent error in the experiment. Another way to find the volume of the object is to use a micrometer. A micrometer is a device that can measure lengths as small as a mm. Once the volume of the object is found using the micrometer the measurement of mm cubed will need to be converted to meters cubed. After that, the procedure for finding density will be the same as the described above, and the percent error can be found in the same way as well. Data: Water displacement method Mass of substance: .08819 kg Volume of substance: 3.2 x 10^-5 m^3 Density of substance: 2755.94 kg/m^3 Substance with closest density number: Aluminum % error: 4% Micrometer method Mass of substance: .08819 kg Volume of substance: 3.22 x 10^-5 m^3 Density of substance: 2738.8 kg/m^3 Substance with closest density number: Aluminum % error: 3.4% Calculations: Water displacement method Volume: (1 ml = 1 cm^3) 32 ml / 100 / 100 / 100 = 3.2 ml x 10^-5 m^3 Density: .08819 kg / 3.2 x 10^-5 = 2755.94 kg / m^3 % error: (2755.9 - 2650) / 2650 (100) = 4% Micrometer method Volume: 31.8 mm x 31.7 mm x 31.9 mm = 32157.1 mm^3 / 1000 / 1000 / 1000 = 3.22 x 10^-5 Density: .08819 kg / 3.22 x 10^-5 = 2738.8 kg / m^3 % error: (2738.8 - 2650) / 2650 (100) = 3.4% Conclusion: Every substance has density. When an object is less dense than the fluid it is submerged in, the object will float. Density can be found by dividing the mass of an object by its volume. This equation is the basis of this lab. We used two methods (water displacement and micrometer) to find the volume of the object. The water displacement method works because when the object is submerged in water the object occupies the exact same amount of space as the water. So, basically, the amount of water that is displaced by the object will equal the volume of the object. So, if we measure the amount of water displaced then we will now the volume of the object submerged....