The Density of Irregularly Shaped Solids

The density of an irregularly shaped solid is usually determined by measuring the mass and then measuring the volume of liquid that it displaces. The volume of liquid in a graduated cylinder is measured before the object is submerged and then measured again with the object submerged. The difference in the volume equals the volume of the object. 

A chunk of metal has a mass of 29.7 g when weighed in air and 18.7 g when weighed in water. What is the density of the metal  

The loss in mass is equal to the volume of water displaced, which is equal to the volume of the object. Since the density of water is 1.0 g/mL, the volume of the water displaced is 11.0 mL. This is also the volume 

FIGURE 15.14 Using a balance to find the volume of an irregularly shaped object. 

calculating density, we substitute into Equation (15.8)  

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