Experiment No.

Fluid Properties: Density

Introduction

Density is a physical property of matter that expresses a relationship of mass to volume. The
more mass an object contains in a given space, the more dense it is. It is important to
remember, though, that this relationship is not just about how closely packed together the
atoms of an element or the molecules of a compound are. Density is also affected by the
atomic mass of an element or compound. Since different substances have different densities,
density measurements are a useful means for identifying substances.

For example, In an oil spill in the ocean, the oil rises to the top because it is less dense than
water, shown in Figure 1

Fig. (1): Oil and Water

The density, of a substance is its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for
density is ρ (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter D can also be used.
Mathematically, density is defined as mass divided by volume:

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Objective

The purpose of this experiment is to understand the meaning fluid properties, and measuring
density of water samples via one methods.

Materials and Apparatus

1. Water
2. Science balance, and
3. Beaker.

Description of equipment (pictures)

Fig. (2): Beaker and Balance

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Procedure

1. The mass of empty beaker on a science balance are record, (M1).

2. Remove the beaker from the balance amd measure an arbitrary volume of selected
fluid into the beaker (V).
3. The mass of laden beaker on the balance are record, (M2).
4. Determine the mass of fluid by difference in the masses as

M = M2 – M1

Where: M = mass of fluid (kg),

M1 = mass of unladed beaker (kg), and

M2 = mass of Laden Beaker (kg).

5. Determine the value of density of the fluid (ρ) by divide the mass of the fluid by the
volume.

Where: ρ = density of fluid ,

V = Volume of fluid in beaker (m3).

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Calculations and Results

The fluids density is measuring by record the mass and volume in a Lab., as shown in a
Table (1).

Table (1):

Mass of fluid (g) Volume (ml) Density (kg/m3)

445 450 989
497 500 994
Water
545 550 991
595 600 991.7
456 450 1013.3

Water + Salt 506 500 1012

552 550 1003.6
602 600 1003.3

Water

Record: Mass of water (M) =

Volume of the fluid in beaker (V) =

Water with salt

Record: Mass of water-salt (M) =

Volume of the fluid in beaker (V) =

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Conclusion and Discussion

Density is a measure of how much matter, or mass(m), takes up a certain amount of space,
or volume(v). The formula for density is D=m/v or density equals mass divided by
volume. The relationship between mass and volume is direct because as mass increases so
does volume. The purpose of this lab is to calculate the density of water and water with
salt. In this lab we found the mass of a beaker then, filled the beaker with water. Then we
took the mass of the beaker and water and we took the measure of water volume. We
measure the density of water. Then we filled the beaker with a small amount of salt, the
volume of water not changed, we took the mass of the beaker and water and salt.Then we
measure the density of water with salt.

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