Question

A 50-g unknown solid displaces 18.5 mL of water in a 500-mL beaker. What is the density of the unknown solid expressed in g/〖cm〗^3?

Answer 1

The total volume of displaced water is equal to the volume of the unknown solid.

So we have: V_unknown =V_{disp. water}=18.5 ml

The density formula is

$$\rho = m/V$$

where m - mass of unknown solid in grams, V - volume of unknown solid in cm³;

As the volume in mL is equal to volume in cm³, we get:

$$\rho =m/V = 50 g/18.5 cm^3 = 2.703 g/cm^3$$

Answer: The density of a unknown solid is 2.703 g/cm³ .