A graduated cylinder contains 50 mL of water. You carefully place a rock into the cylinder, causing the water level to rise to 70 mL. If the mass of the rock is 100 grams, explain how to calculate the density of the rock in two to four sentences. Describe each step of the process and provide the final density value for full points. You may write your answer in complete sentences or as a numbered/bulleted list but you must explain all steps for full points. (

3 answers

To calculate the density of the rock, follow these steps:

  1. Determine the volume of the rock: The volume of water displaced by the rock can be found by subtracting the initial water level from the final water level. In this case, the initial water level is 50 mL, and the final water level is 70 mL. Therefore, the volume of the rock is 70 mL - 50 mL = 20 mL.

  2. Convert the volume to liters if necessary: For density calculations, it is common to use liters instead of milliliters. In this case, 20 mL is equivalent to 0.020 liters.

  3. Calculate the density: Density is calculated using the formula: Density = Mass / Volume. The mass of the rock is given as 100 grams, and we found the volume to be 20 mL (or 0.020 L). Thus, Density = 100 g / 20 mL = 5 g/mL.

  4. Final density value: The final density of the rock is 5 g/mL.

in 2-4 sentences

To calculate the density of the rock, first determine its volume by finding the difference in the water level before and after placing the rock in the graduated cylinder; in this case, the volume is 20 mL (70 mL - 50 mL). Then, use the formula for density, which is Density = Mass / Volume; here, the mass of the rock is 100 grams. Plugging in the values gives a density of 100 g / 20 mL = 5 g/mL. Thus, the density of the rock is 5 g/mL.