Answer to Question #235054 in General Chemistry for Sarah

Question

Assume that after you made your measurements, you realized that your solid rod had a nick in the side and a portion was missing. When comparing the density that would be calculated using the ruler method with the result of the displacement method of the rod, would the calculated density for the ruler method be higher, lower or the same as the water displacement density? Explain.

Answer 1

If the measured density calculated using the ruler method is higher, lower or the same as the water displacement density.

Since the rod has a nick and a portion of the rod is missing, therefore the measurements made by the rod will be greater, hence the measured volume will be greater.

Since the density is mass divided by the volume,

$\rho=\frac{m}{v}$

hence, if the volume is measured higher, and the density is inversely proportional to the volume, therefore the density as measured by the ruler method will be lower as compared to the density measured by the water displacement method.