A scientist is studying rocks found within layers of Earth. She finds a rock with a mass of 72 grams and a volume of 24 cm3.

Question

The table shows the average densities of rocks that are commonly found in the area where the scientist found the rock. Densities are rounded to the nearest tenth.

Average Densities of Rocks g/cm3
Shale 2.0
Quartzite 3.0
Sandstone 2.5
Marble 2.7
Limestone 1.2
According to the data, what type of rock did the scientist find?

(1 point)
Responses

Quartzite
Quartzite

Limestone
Limestone

Sandstone
Sandstone

Shale
Shale
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Answer 1

To determine what type of rock the scientist found, we first need to calculate the density of the rock she discovered using the formula:

\[ \text{Density} = \frac{\text{Mass}}{\text{Volume}} \]

Given the mass of the rock is 72 grams and the volume is 24 cm³, we can plug in the values:

\[ \text{Density} = \frac{72 \text{ g}}{24 \text{ cm}^3} = 3 \text{ g/cm}^3 \]

Now, we can compare this calculated density with the average densities of the rocks listed:

• Shale: 2.0 g/cm³
• Quartzite: 3.0 g/cm³
• Sandstone: 2.5 g/cm³
• Marble: 2.7 g/cm³
• Limestone: 1.2 g/cm³

The calculated density of the rock is 3.0 g/cm³, which matches the density of quartzite.

Thus, the scientist found Quartzite.