Running head: DENSITY 1

Density

Name

Institution Affiliation
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Density

Density is defined as the characteristic property of a substance, whereas the density of

a substance is the relationship between the mass of the substance and how much it space

occupies (Volume), [ CITATION Joa06 \l 2057 ]. The density of a substance is one of its most

important and easily measured physical properties. Densities are commonly used for

identifying pure substances and for characterizing and estimating the structure of various

types of mixtures. The density has the same numerical value for a pure element as its mass

concentration. Different materials generally have different densities, and densities can be

necessary for flooring, pureness, and packaging.

Density is omnipresent in everyday life processes, explaining everything from ice

floating in a drink to air-drifting balloons. Density is a comparative measuring scheme that

indicates if a substance or object in a specified medium will float or sink. One of the most

frequent density uses is how different materials interact when mixed. Wood has been floating

in water because it has a reduced density, while an anchor sinks due to higher density of the

metal. Helium balloons float because helium density is lower than air density. Other instances

which make density important in our daily life include the swimming and boating, flight of

lighter – than air vehicles, flotation, and cooking and baking.

How Lava Lampworks

A lava lamp consists of a bolus of a unique colored wax mixture inside a glass vessel.

The vessel is then put on a box containing an incandescent light bulb whose heat causes wax

density and fluid surface tension to be temporarily reduced. The heated wax rises through the

surrounding fluid, cools, loses its breathability and drops back to the bottom of the vessel in a

cycle visually suggestive of pāhoehoe lava, hence the name, [ CITATION Bro16 \l 2057 ]. In the

lamp, there are two liquids which are

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 Insoluble in one another

 Very close in density

Water and oil are insoluble when mixed, but water and oil have very different

densities since the volume of water weighs a lot more than the same volume of oil. The heat

provides at the bottom from the light bulb causes the denser liquid to absorb the heat as it

expands. As it expands, it becomes less dense. Since the liquids have very similar densities,

the previously denser liquid is suddenly lighter than the other liquid, so it rises. It cools as it

increases, making it heavier and denser, so it sinks, [ CITATION Wil13 \l 2057 ]. All this occurs

in slow motion because the procedures of heat absorption and dissipation are relatively slow,

and the density modifications we are debating here are minimal.

Why some samples should have their density determined by volume displacement

instead of mass and volume

To calculate the density of a substance sample, its mass and quantity must be

measured. Typically, mass is evaluated using an analytical balance, an accurate tool based on

the force of gravity exerted by the sample. The sample holding container (also used to assess

quantity) is weighed and tarred, so when the sample is added to the container, only the

sample mass appears on the equilibrium display. In the case of fluids, this container is

typically a volumetric flask, which has one marking corresponding to a specific volume. With

the liquid sample, the container is filled to the line and weighed again after the tarred of the

empty flask. The density measured is the proportion of the mass measured to the quantity

shown on the container.

Most solid substances are formed irregularly, complicating the determination of its

volume. For instance, determining a powder's volume by measuring its size is incorrect.
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Instead, it is necessary to use a liquid displacement method to measure the volume of an

irregular shaped solid instead of directly measuring dimensions or using glassware like a

volumetric flask. A graduated cylinder is tared that contains a known liquid volume (in

which the solid is insoluble). The solid is added to the cylinder to determine the mass of the

solid, and the total mass is weighed again. Adding the solid causes the liquid to move

upwards, leading in a new reading of the volume [ CITATION Emi08 \l 2057 ]. The solid volume

is equivalent to the volume shift due to fluid displacement (i.e., the difference in the quantity

of liquid before and after solid addition).

Examples of Liquids and solids that should be determined using:

Density calculations are (having their both mass and volume);

(i)Ethanol

(ii) Sugar cube

Volume displacement

(i) Metallic zinc

(ii)Solid copper
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References

Barkan, J. (2006). What is density? New York: Children's Press.

Emil J Slowinski; Wayne C Wolsey & William L Masterton. (2008). Chemical Principles in

the laboratory. Pacific Grove, Calif. : Brooks/Cole; London: Cengage Learning.

Rowe, B. (2016). Building a lava lamp. Ann Arbor: Cherry Lake Publishing.

William J Hinze; Afif H Saa & R Von Frese. (2013). Gravity and magnetic exploration:

principles, practices, and applications. New York: Cambridge University Press.