The definition of density is the degree of a substance’s compactness. This depends upon the substance’s weight and mass. In science, this is one of the most important properties of any object. Luckily, it’s not that difficult to measure density whether you use the density formula or this density calculator. In this article, we’ll discuss how to calculate density, how to use the density calculator, and some other important information about this property.
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How to use the density calculator?
This online density calculator is a simple, easy to use tool. You only need to enter two values, and it performs the calculation for you. After you’ve learned how to calculate density and you’re done the manual calculation, use the calculator to check your answer. Here are the steps to follow:
- First, enter the value of the Weight then choose the unit of measurement from the drop-down menu.
- Then enter the value of the Volume then choose the unit of measurement from the drop-down menu.
- After entering both these values, the calculator will provide you with the value of the Density.
How to calculate density?
The density of any material refers to how compact a certain object is. If placed in a mathematical equation, you determine this property by the mass contained within a given volume. We’ve heard about measurements like grams per cubic centimetre or pounds per square foot. These are the standard measurements of density.
If you need to calculate the density of an object manually, use the density formula. This is a simple formula which only involves three variables:
D = m/v
where:
D refers to the density
m refers to the mass
v refers to the volume
From this equation, we can derive that density is a quantity of mass per unit volume. You can also conclude that the three variables are all related to each other. When you know the value of two, you can solve for the third. Because this property of matter is essential in many science labs, the density of many known substances are already known.
You can check them online or on “density tables.” For solid objects, calculations are very straightforward. But things can get a bit more complicated with liquids since their density tends to change with the temperature. Ditto with gases as well, as their density depends upon pressure and temperature.
As aforementioned, the most common substances already have given density values. To know these values, use a density table. You can find the density of a known material in a density table. Given this information, you can readily solve the material’s volume by taking its weight. Remember the density formula:
D = m/v
It’s very simple. But if you only have the density and the mass, a simple change in the formula allows you to solve for the volume:
v = D/m
Conversely, you can solve for the mass if you know the volume and the density. From the same formula, change it a bit and you have:
m = v * D.
All of these are simple calculations where you only have to rearrange the variables. To get the value of the third, you need the value of the two other variables.
What is my density?
Can we measure the density of the human body? To answer this, you need to understand certain parameters:
- You can study the density of objects in relation to the density of water.
- Water has a density of 1.0 grams/cubic centimetre
- Any objects with densities greater than water will sink while those with less will float.
- The human body will either sink or float depending on different conditions. This indicates that the human body’s density is close to that of water.
You can also calculate your density. To do this, follow these steps:
- Use a weighing scale to measure your weight accurately. Convert this weight from pounds to grams where a pound is approximately equal to 453.59 grams. Multiply this number by the number of pounds to get the weight in grams. This converted weight will now represent your mass (m).
- Fill a huge basin or your bathtub with water. Make sure that the level of water is enough to allow for complete submersion. Use a marker to indicate the water level.
- Step into the tub or basin and immerse yourself completely underwater. To get an accurate result, you should use a snorkel and wear goggles so your whole body, head included, will get submerged underwater. The level of water will rise when you submerge yourself completely.
- Ask another person to mark the new level of water using a marker of a different color. Then ask that person to remove all of the excess water using a measuring cup. Do this until the level goes down the initial level. To find out how much water you removed, have a container nearby.
- This displaced water represents your volume. To do this experiment, you need help from another person. This person takes the measurements while you submerge yourself fully.
- You can now convert the measured volume into cm3. One cup is approximately equal to 236.59 cm3. If you used a gallon to remove the excess water, one gallon has approximately 3,785.41 cm3.
- Finally, you can now calculate your density using the density formula since you already have the values for your weight and volume. If you have made the measurements accurately, you should come up with a density that’s close to the density of water. The density of each person differs depending upon the body type whether it’s fat, thin or muscular.
How do you find density given mass and length?
In retrospect, here are some points we have taken:
- Objects that sink in water have a density higher than 1.0 g per cubic centimetre. Those that float have a lesser density than water.
- To calculate density, you need the values for mass and volume. Given these three variables, you need to know the value of the two to solve for the third one. Remember these formulas:
- D = m / v
- m = D * v
- v = m / D
If you only have the mass and the length of an object, you need to perform other calculations first before you can find the density of that object.
