Experiment 5: Relative Density

Daryl Abella, Alfonzo Alviar, Jescel Ambida, Shaina Andrada

Group 1- 3-Bio1

Department of Biological Sciences

College of Science, University of Santo Tomas
Espaa, Manila, Philippines

Abstract In relation to relative density and

The purpose of this experiment is to
identify the composition of the composition
of a substance by its density. In the first
activity, displacement method was used to
identify its density which arrived at 2.83
g/cc and has a theoretical error compared
to the standard aluminium with 13%. In
activity 2, the density of the bone is 1.68
which has a normal diagnosis. the results of
the relative density of RSD and DSD which
are 1.04g and 0.99g, respectively, are
dependent on the container and the data of
the H2O filled pycnometer.
1. Introduction
Relative Density is defined as the
quotient of the mass of the substance
divided by the mass of the reference
substance. It can also be determined by
determining the ratio of the weights in place
of the density. In addition to, the following
are important concepts discussed in this
experiment: specific gravity, and
Archimedes principle, buoyancy and
buoyant force.
Similar to relative density, specific
gravity is typically used in measurements
where the reference substance is water. The
pycnometer, hydrometer and the digital
density meters are devices that can be used
to measure both the similar concepts.
specific gravity, buoyancy, as defined by the
Merriam- Webster Dictionary, is the ability
of an object to float in water or air.
Furthermore, it is the power of liquid to
make someone or something float.
Buoyancy force is the force applied to the
stated characteristic. Archimedes was said to
be man behind this concept with his
infamous story between him, the king, the
blacksmith and the golden crown. In the
physical law of buoyancy or also known as
the Archimedes principle states that any
body completely or partially submerged in a
fluid, gas or liquid, at rest is acted upon by
an upward, or buoyant, force the magnitude
of which is equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced by the body.
Objectives of the experiment includes
the following: to determine the composition
of a substance based on its density, the
density of a liquid using a pycnometer and
the density of a substance by Archimedes
Principle.
2. Theory
Activity 1:
Volume of Aluminum bar (cc) =
Final level of water (cc) Initial
level of water (cc)
()
Density of coins = ()

% Error = Theoretical (2.7 g/cc)
Experimental x 100
Activity 2:
Relative Density (R.D.) =
= weight of the bone in air
= weight of the bone in water
Density of bone = R.D. x density of
water (1 g/cc)
Theoretical mean normal bone
density (1.8 g/cc) Density of bone
(1.68 g/cc) = N
N x 1 standard deviation (0.18 g/cc)
= SD above or below the mean
Activity 3:
Relative Density of regular soft drink
=
Relative Density of diet soft drink =
with water has been noted with the initial
= weight of empty pycnometer
= weight of pycnometer filled
with water
= weight of pycnometer filled
with regular soft drink
= weight of pycnometer filled
with diet soft drink
Density of regular soft drink =
25
Density of diet soft drink = 25
The theory behind this experiment is the
relation between the relative density and the
Archimedes principle. Relative density is the
ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume)
of a substance to the density of a given
reference material. It is also related to
specific gravity, which is the relative
density with respect to water. Archimedes
principle, or the Physical Law of Buoyancy,
states that the upward buoyant force that is
exerted on a body immersed in a fluid,
whether fully or partially submerged, is
equal to the weight of the fluid that the body
displaces and it acts in the upward direction
at the center of mass of the displaced fluid.
3. Methodology
ACTIVITY 1: DISPLACEMENT
METHOD FOR ALUMINUM
Aluminum cylinder was weighed by
using an electronic gram balance.
Simultaneously, a graduated cylinder filled
volume of water in it. The pre-weighed
Aluminum cylinder was placed and drowned
into the water of the graduated cylinder and
because of the impenetrability, the
aluminum cylinder displaced a volume of
water equal to its volume. The new volume
was then noted. Knowing the initial volume
of the water, it was then subtracted to the
new value of the volume of water the final
volume thus, the volume of the aluminum
cylinder. Thereafter, the density of the
aluminum was determined by dividing the
weight of the aluminum cylinder by its
volume. Given with the theoretical density densities of regular soft drink and diet soft
of the aluminum cylinder, the percent error drink was solved through the use of the
was determined by subtracting the formulas:
experimental density value from the

theoretical density value and multiplying the . . =
difference of the two to 100.

. . =

ACTIVITY 2: DENSITY OF A
BONE After determining the relative densities of
the two, the densities of the two were
A bone was given to the group and computed also and this was done by the use
was weighed using the electronic beam of the formulas:
balance, recorded as the WA. A piece of
light thread was then tied to the bone and . = or

then the bone was immersed in a beaker of

water. The bone was again weighed but now . =
25
while it was immersed in the water, recorded
as Ww. The relative density of the bone was
computed by using the formula:
= or

. . = ,

=
and the density of the bone was 25
solved by using the formula:
= (. . )( ).
4. Results and Discussion
Through the standards given by the World
Health Organization (WHO) on the different Activity 1: Displacement Method for
bone densities and their corresponding Alloy
descriptions, a finding was taken whether Table 1: Data table of activity 1.
Weight of aluminium 16.97 g
the bone density computed was referring to
cylinder
osteopenia, normal, osteoporosis, or
Initial level of water 80 cc
osteopetrosis.
Final level of water 86 cc
Volume of aluminium 6 cc
cylinder
ACTIVITY 3: REGULAR Density of aluminium 2.83 g/cc
VERSUS DIET SOFT DRINKS Theoretical density of 2.70 g/cc
aluminium
The weights of an empty pycnometer (WP),
Percent error 13%
pycnometer filled with water (WW),
pycnometer filled with regular soft drink
The objective of Activity 1 in the
(WR), and pycnometer filled with diet soft experiment is to determine the density of an
drink (WD) was determined. The relative aluminium using the displacement method
 for alloy. The first information gathered
was the weight of the aluminium in air
using a beam balance, which gives the
weight of 16.97 g. second the initial level
of water in the graduated cylinder was
noted. The aluminium after placing it in the
graduated cylinder with water displaced a
volume of water which is equal to the
volume of the aluminium. The density of
the coin was obtained using the formula:
() balance. The relative density of the bone
density of aluminum = (). It was
then compared to the theoretical density of
the aluminum which is 2.70 g/cc by getting
the percent error using the formula: %error
= Theoretical (2.7 g/cc) experimental
(2.83 g/cc) x 100. The percent error is 13%
The objective of Activity 2 in the
experiment is to solve for the density of a
bone. The first information gathered was the
weight of the bone in air using a beam
balance, giving a weight of 61.65 grams.
Second, the weight of the bone in water was
obtained by displacement method. The bone
was tied first to a spring balance before
submerging in water. Once submerged, the
bone gave a reading 25 grams on the spring
was calculated by using the following
formula for relative density:
Relative Density (R.D.) =
= weight of the bone in air

Activity 2: Density of a Bone

Table 2: Data table of activity 2 = weight of the bone in water
Weight of bone in 61.65g It was observed that the relative density
air (g) has no unit. Since it is a ratio of the weight
Weight of bone in 25g of the bone in air to the relative weight of
water (g) the bone in air and water, the unit (grams)
Relative density of 1.68 will cancel each other. The next information,
bone density of bone, was obtained by
Density of bone 1.68 g/cc multiplying the relative density of the bone
(g/cc) to the density of water which is 1 g/cc.
Finding NORMAL
Table 3. Table showing the information Density of bone = R.D. x density of
given by WHO on the diagnosis of a bone water (1 g/cc)
based on its RD. In order to know the findings of the
bone, the density of the bone was subtracted
Osteoporosis More than 2.5
from the theoretical mean normal bone
standard deviation
density which is 1.8 g/cc. After which, the
below the mean
difference was then multiplied to 1 standard
Osteopenia (low bone 1.0 to 2.5 standard
deviation which is 10% of the theoretical
mass) deviation below the
mean normal bone density.
mean
Normal 0 to 1.0 standard Theoretical mean normal bone
deviation below the density (1.8 g/cc) Density of bone
mean (1.68 g/cc) = 0.12 g/cc
Osteopetrosis More than 1
standard deviation 0.12 g/cc x 1 standard deviation
above the mean (0.18 g/cc) = 0.67 g/cc
 A 0.67 g/cc bone mass falls under the
normal diagnosis based on the information
given by the World Health Organization.
Activity 3: Regular versus Diet Soft
Drinks
Fig. 1:Figure showing a pycnometer
Pycnometer
The figure above is the primary device
used in the stated activity, the pycnometer.
As defined by Merriam- Webster
Dictionary, pycnometer comes from the
Greek word, pyknos. It is a standard vessel
often provided with a thermometer for
measuring and comparing the densities of
liquids or solids. A thermometer is
sometimes needed or paired with this device
due to the concept that both the ambient
temperature and pressure can affect the
density of a substance.
Table 4. Data of activity 3
Wx Weight of empty pycnometer 14.84g
Weight of pycnometer with H2O 39.90g
Weight of pycnometer with RSD 40.97g
Weight of pycnometer with DSD 39.75g
Relative density of RSD 1.04g
Density of RSD 1.05g/cc
Relative density of DSD 0.99g
Density of DSD 1.00g/cc
Legend: RSD - Regular Soft Drink
DSD - Diet Soft Drink
By comparing, RSD weighs greater
than the pycnometers filled with H2O and
DSD. In addition to, the same results were
observed with the relative density and
density alone.
Relative Densities of RSD and DSD
were computed by the following formulas,
Relative Density of regular soft drink
=
Relative Density of diet soft drink =
Both formulas includes the weights of
the empty pycnometer and the one filled
with H2O alone. This shows that the results
of the relative density of RSD and DSD
which are 1.04g and 0.99g, respectively, are
dependent on the container and the data of
the H2O filled pycnometer.
Densities of RSD and DSD were
computed by the following formulas,
Density of regular soft drink =
25
Density of diet soft drink = 25
Similar to the concept of the relative
densities, the density of RSD and DSD
which are 1.05g/cc and 1.00g/cc
respectively, are dependent to the empty
pycnometer alone and the cubic
centimetre(cc) equivalent of the container.
Assuming that 1mL is equal to 1cc in this
experiment, 25 mL which the amount the
device can hold is equal to 25cc which was
used as the denominator in the formula.
 Besides the given factors, other https://www.reference.com/science/f
factors affected the following computed ormula-relative-density-
results. First, the components of the two soft 46f0b6237fbc3979
drinks. It was assumed that both has the https://www.britannica.com/science/
same weigh and mass but resulted to Archimedes-principle
different densities. This results happened http://www.coca-colacompany.com
due to components of the beverage where
RSD has more sugar content than DSD.
Thus, this added sugar mixed with the liquid
substances adds weight. This explained that
mass or weight is dependent and directly
proportional to density. Second, the water
used was assumed to have metal ions with it;
thus, increasing the weight of the subjected
liquid due to its residue within the container.
Whereas explaining higher densities
computed than the relative densities.

Possible errors of this activity includes

the following: inaccurate measurement due
to H2O residue within the container and
incomplete definition affecting the
judgement of measurement.

5. Conclusion
In conclusion, the methods done in the
laboratory are all applicable and effective.
The experimental density of the aluminum is
2.83 g/cc and is almost the same as the
theoretical density of the aluminum which is
2.70 g/cc , thus a low percent error. Also,
the finding for the density of the bone which
is 1.68 g/cc leads to the conclusion that it is
within the range of 'Normal' which is from 0
to 1 Standard Deviations and made proven
by the 0.66 non-terminating standard
deviation value. Finally, it is concluded that
the density of a regular soft drink is way
higher than that of the diet soft drink having
1.045 g/cc and 0.636 g/cc, respectively.
6. References

Merriam-Webster Dictionary