2. A student is asked to determine the density of a medium sized seashell and mu
ID: 190273 • Letter: 2
Question
2. A student is asked to determine the density of a medium sized seashell and must use the water displacement method in order to do so. The student first weighs the seashell and determines its mass to be 415 grams. The student then submerges the seashell in a beaker filled with 500 ml of water and watches the water level rise to 730 ml.
a. What is the density of this seashell? Show your work.
b. Will this seashell float on the water or sink? On what do you base your prediction?
c. Another student in the classroom is looking for a seashell with which she will practice determining density. Can she remove this seashell from the beaker of water and immediately use it to take her own mass and volume measurements? Why or why not?
Explanation / Answer
a.
Weight = 415 g
Volume = 730 - 500 = 230 mL
Density = Weight/Volume
= 415/230
= 1.804 g/mL
b.
Density of water = 1 g/mL
The shell will sink in water as it has the greater density than water.
c.
No.
The next student should wait for the shell to dry completely. She must use it only when all the water is drained off as it can interfere with the results.
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