Physics: Properties of Matter: Mass, Volume, Density
Measuring and comparing matter
Physics: Properties of Matter: Mass, Volume, Density
Measuring and comparing matter
Physics - Grade 4-5
- 1
A student places an apple on a balance. The balance shows 150 grams. What property of matter is being measured?
A balance or scale is used to measure how much matter an object has.
The balance is measuring the apple's mass. Mass tells how much matter is in an object. - 2
A rectangular eraser is 5 centimeters long, 2 centimeters wide, and 1 centimeter tall. What is its volume?
For a rectangular solid, multiply length times width times height.
The volume is 10 cubic centimeters because 5 times 2 times 1 equals 10. - 3
A rock has a mass of 60 grams and a volume of 20 milliliters. What is the density of the rock?
Density equals mass divided by volume.
The density of the rock is 3 grams per milliliter because 60 divided by 20 equals 3. - 4
Two balls are the same size. Ball A has a mass of 40 grams. Ball B has a mass of 80 grams. Which ball is denser, and why?
Ball B is denser because both balls have the same volume, but Ball B has more mass in the same amount of space. - 5
A measuring cup contains 30 milliliters of water. After a small toy is dropped in, the water level rises to 45 milliliters. What is the volume of the toy?
The volume of the object equals the change in the water level.
The volume of the toy is 15 milliliters because 45 minus 30 equals 15. - 6
Which has more mass: a 25 gram pencil case or a 40 gram notebook? Explain your answer.
The 40 gram notebook has more mass because 40 grams is greater than 25 grams. - 7
A cube has a mass of 24 grams and a volume of 8 cubic centimeters. What is its density?
Divide the mass by the volume.
The density of the cube is 3 grams per cubic centimeter because 24 divided by 8 equals 3. - 8
A feather and a marble both fit inside the same small box. The marble has more mass. Which object has greater density if they take up about the same amount of space?
The marble has greater density because it has more mass in about the same volume. - 9
A student wants to measure the volume of an oddly shaped shell. Which tool and method should the student use?
Irregular objects can be measured by water displacement.
The student should use a graduated cylinder with water and measure how much the water level rises when the shell is added. - 10
An object has a density of 1 gram per milliliter. Another object has a density of 5 grams per milliliter. Which object has more matter packed into the same amount of space?
The object with a density of 5 grams per milliliter has more matter packed into the same amount of space. - 11
A block has a mass of 50 grams and a volume of 10 cubic centimeters. A second block has a mass of 50 grams and a volume of 25 cubic centimeters. Which block is denser?
If mass is the same, the object with the smaller volume is denser.
The first block is denser because it has the same mass packed into a smaller volume. - 12
Fill in the missing word: Volume is the amount of space an object takes up. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Density compares an object's mass to its ____.
Density compares an object's mass to its volume. - 13
A small metal bolt has a mass of 36 grams. It is placed in a graduated cylinder, and the water level rises from 18 milliliters to 24 milliliters. What is the density of the bolt?
First find the volume by subtracting the water levels, then divide mass by volume.
The bolt's volume is 6 milliliters because 24 minus 18 equals 6. Its density is 6 grams per milliliter because 36 divided by 6 equals 6. - 14
A sponge and a stone have the same volume. The sponge has a mass of 10 grams, and the stone has a mass of 100 grams. Explain which one has the greater density.
The stone has the greater density because it has much more mass in the same volume. - 15
A student writes, 'A large object is always denser than a small object.' Explain why this statement is not always true.
Think about a big beach ball compared with a small rock.
The statement is not always true because density depends on both mass and volume. A large object can be less dense if its mass is spread out over a large space.