EP01 The density measurement of solid object

1. Introduction
The densityρof a substance of mass m and volume V is defined by the equation:
m
ρ＝ (1)
V
The volume of regular objects can be easily measured. In general, the mass can be measured
using a balance. So the density of the objects can be obtained easily. For those irregular
objects the volume is very difficult to be directly measured .We can indirectly measure the
density according to Archimedes’ principle.
Archimedes’ principle states that the buoyant force on a submerged object is equal to the
weight of the fluid that is displaced by the object. If the fluid is water, ρ0 is the density of
water and V is the volume of the irregular object ,then the buoyant force F on the object is
given by:
F=ρ0Vg (2)
At the same time, the buoyant force F is also determined by measured the difference
between the object’s weight in air and its apparent weight in water. If the buoyant force in air
is neglected the object’s weight in air is W=mg, m is the object’s mass in air. The object’s
weight in water when it is submerged in water is W1=m1g, m1 is the object’s mass in water.
Hence:
F= W- W1=(m- m1)g (3)
Using Eqs. (1)、(2) and (3),we can obtain:
mρ 0
ρ= (4)
m − m1
2. Experiment
In the lab, we will measure the density of a kind of copper using two methods. Firstly,
we can obtain the density by measuring the mass and volume of the object made of the copper.
Secondly, we can measure the density according to Archimedes’ principle. The shape of the
object is rectangle with a hole in it, Fig.1.

Fig.1

(A) Measure the mass and volume of the object

i) Measure the object’s mass m in air using a physical balance, Fig.2.
The physical balance is a weighing device, especially one consisting of a rigid beam
horizontally suspended by a low-friction support at its center, with identical weighing pans
hung at either end, one of which holds an unknown weight while the effective weight in the
other is increased by known amounts until the beam is level and motionless.
Note: 1.The balance must be adjusted before using it.
a. Level adjusting, adjust the knob F and F’ at the bottom and make the air bladder
 in the center of the water level.
b. Zero adjustment, slide the moving weight to the zero line of the beam, hung the
identical weighing pans at either end, then adjust the screw at either end of the
beam until the beam is level.
2. You must be gently and quietly when you rotate the stop knob (K), and you must not
startup the stop knob fully until the beam is level.
3. You must be gently and quietly when you add and reduce the weight with the stop
knob stillness.

Fig.2

ii) Respectively measure the length 、the width of the object and the diameter of the hole in
the object 5 times using a vernier caliper
vernier caliper is a measuring instrument consisting of an L-shaped frame with a linear
scale along its longer arm and an L-shaped sliding attachment with a vernier, used to read
directly the dimension of an object represented by the separation between the inner or outer
edges of the two shorter arms, Fig.3.
 Fig.3 vernier caliper

iii) Measure the thickness of the object 5 times using a micrometer caliper.
Micrometer caliper is measuring instrument consisting of a screw、a fixed sleeve with a
linear scale along it 、a fluxionary sleeve with a linear scale around it, and a finely threaded
screw, used to measure the dimension of a little object Fig.4.

Fig.4

Complete table1.

(B) Measure the density according to Archimedes’ principle.

i).Measure the object’s mass m in air and the mass m1 in water using a physical balance.
ii). Measure water’s temperature and look up the corresponding densityρ0 from a table
which give the water density against the temperature.
Complete table2
3. Data record and processing

(A) Measure the mass and volume of the object

The mass of the object m=

vernier caliper: zero correctional value=

micrometer caliper: zero correctional value=
Table1 Measure the volume of the object unit:cm
1 2 3 4 5 average
Length(L)
Width(W)
Depth(D)
Diameter(d)

Calculate the volume of the object.

The volume of the object
1
V = L × W × D − πd 2 D
4
=

The density of the objectρ=

(B) measure the density according to Archimedes’ principle.

Table 2
m(g) m1 (g) T(°C) ρ0

The density of the objectρ=

4.pre-question
1.how do you use a vernier caliper or a micrometer caliper? Can you read them?
2.Why must the zero correctional value of vernier caliper and micrometer caliper be read
before using them to measure the object?
5.question
1. When you measure the object’s mass m1 in water you must keep the object off the wall of
the container, why?