[Solved] A teacher performing a demonstration finds that a piece of cork displaces 23.5 mL of water. The piece of cork has a mass of 5.7g. What is the density of the cork?
Understand the Definition of Density
Density measures how much mass is contained in a given volume. It’s often used to determine the compactness or concentration of matter in an object.
The formula for density is:
Density=MassVolumeDensity=VolumeMass
Where:
- Mass is the amount of matter in an object, typically measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg).
- Volume is the amount of space the object occupies, typically measured in millilitres (mL) or cubic centimetres (cm³).
2. Identify the Given Values
From the problem statement, we have:
- Mass of the cork = 5.7 g
- The volume of water displaced by the cork (which is equivalent to the volume of the cork) = 23.5 mL
3. Substitute the Given Values into the Formula
Using the formula for density and substituting in the given values:
Density=5.7 g23.5 mLDensity=23.5 mL5.7 g
4. Perform the Calculation
Dividing 5.7 by 23.5 gives:
Density≈0.2426 g/mLDensity≈0.2426g/mL
5. State the Result
The density of the cork is approximately 0.2426 g/mL0.2426g/mL. This means that each milliliter of the cork has a mass of approximately 0.2426 grams.
In essence, the density measures how tightly packed the matter is within the cork. In this case, the cork has a relatively low density, which is expected since the cork is known to be lightweight and porous.