An unknown metal has a mass of 0.968 kg in a volume of 123 cenyou're secured what is most likely identified of the unknown metal

1 answer

To identify an unknown metal based on its mass and volume, we first need to calculate its density. The density of a substance is given by the formula:

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

Given the mass and volume:

- Mass (\( m \)) = 0.968 kg (which is 968 grams, since 1 kg = 1000 g)
- Volume (\( V \)) = 123 cm³

Now, we can calculate the density:

\[ \text{Density} = \frac{968 \text{ g}}{123 \text{ cm}³} \approx 7.87 \text{ g/cm}³ \]

Next, we can compare this density to the densities of common metals to identify the most likely candidate:

- Iron (Fe): about 7.87 g/cm³
- Nickel (Ni): about 8.90 g/cm³
- Copper (Cu): about 8.96 g/cm³
- Zinc (Zn): about 7.14 g/cm³
- Tin (Sn): about 7.31 g/cm³

The calculated density of approximately 7.87 g/cm³ closely matches that of iron. Therefore, the unknown metal is most likely iron.