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DENSITY, MASS AND

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Density: Density is defined as the mass per unit volume

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Units: g/cm3or kg/m3
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Subtopics to be covered under density:
Finding the density :

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• of a liquid
• of a regular solid

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• of an irregularly shaped solid
• Predict whether an object will float on density data.
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Mass: It is the amount of matter in an object.
Mass is measured with a spring balance.
It is a scalar quantity
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Weight: It is the pull of the earth's gravity on an object.
Weight= mass x acceleration due to gravity
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W=mg
Weight is measured with a Newton meter.
Weight is a vector quantity and the unit is Newton(N)
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Weight changes from place to place but the mass stays constant.
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Finding the density of a liquid:
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The density of a liquid can be found by the following method:
• Measure the mass of the empty measuring cylinder.(m 1 )

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• Pour a fixed volume of water in the measuring cylinder. Note this volume
as v cm3.
• Note the mass of measuring cylinder + water as m 2 .

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• Find the mass of the water by subtracting m 1 from m 2 .
• Find the density of the liquid by using the formula:
𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎 𝒎𝒎𝟐𝟐 −𝒎𝒎𝟏𝟏
𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫 = = (g/cm3)

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𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗 𝒗𝒗
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Finding the density of an irregular solid:
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The density of a regular soild can be found by the following method:
• Note the dimensions of a regular solid and use them to find the volume.

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Record the volume in v cm3.
• Place the solid on a weighing pan and record its mass as m gm
𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎 𝒎𝒎
Use the formula: 𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫 = = (g/cm3)

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𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗 𝒗𝒗

Following are the formulae of some regular shapes:

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Finding the density of an irregular solid by displacement method:
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Suppose you have to find the density of an irregular object like a stone. It
can be found in the following way.
• Weigh the stone and record its mass(m 1 ) in gm.
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• Take water in a displacement can . Fill the can to the point which is
exactly upto the lower level of the spout.
• Now immerse the stone in the can.
• Water will be displaced by the stone into the measuring cylinder. This
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volume of the displaced water in the measuring cylinder is actually the
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volume of the stone. Note this volume as v cm .
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𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎 𝒎𝒎
• Use the formula 𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫𝑫 = = (g/cm3)
𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗 𝒗𝒗
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APPLICATION BASED QUESTION:-EXTENDED THEORY

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O/N/2015-P32-Q2B

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Predict whether an object will float or sink based on density data:
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• If the body is less dense than the fluid, it will float.
• If the body is denser than the fluid, it will sink.
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O/N/2015-P32-Q2
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APPLICATION BASED CONCEPTS:-MCQ
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