MEASUREMENT (I)

Table of Contents
Basic and derived Physical Quantities .................................2
Length ..................................................................................2
Area .....................................................................................5
Volume ................................................................................7
Mass ................................................................................. 10
Time .................................................................................. 11
Density .............................................................................. 11
Review Exercises................................................................ 17

Specific Objectives
By the end of this topic, the learner should be able
to:
Connections
Building on…
(a) define length, area, volume, mass, density, time and
� Primary Mathematics – length,
state the corresponding symbols and SI units
area, volume
(b) convert other metric units to SI units
� Introduction to Physics – Scientific
(c) estimate length, mass and time
nature of physics
(d) use accurately the following measuring instruments;
metre rule, tape measure, beam balance, stop Arriving at …
clock/watch, measuring cylinder, pipette and � Defining various quantities and their
burette SI units.
(e) determine experimentally the densities of � Using various measuring instruments
substances � Working out calculations involving
(f) solve numerical problems on density. density.
(12 Lessons)
Looking forward to….
� Measurement (II) – Form 2
� Force
Content
1. Definition of length, area, volume, mass, density and
time
2. SI units and symbols
3. Estimation of quantities
4. Conversion of units
5. Measuring instruments
6. Experiments on density
7. Problems on density
 2 | MECHANICS

MEASUREMENT (I)
Up to 1960, some of the common units used by scientists were the inch (2.54 cm), the mile (1.61
km), acre (0.41 Ha), pint (0.57 litres), gallon (4.55 litres), pound (0.45 kg) and tonne (1 000 kg).
Others used grams, centimetres and seconds. There was need to harmonise the units of
measurement.
Consequently, scientists agreed on one international system of units to be used, the Systeme
Internationale d’Unites (International System of Units), shortened to SI units, in all languages.
This system has seven basic physical quantities and units.

Basic and derived Physical Quantities

Basic physical quantities are quantities that can only be obtained by actual measurement.

The seven basic physical quantities and their SI units are shown in the table below.

Basic physical quantity SI unit Symbol of units

Length Metre m
Mass Kilogram kg
Time Second s
Electric current Ampere A
Thermodynamic temperature Kelvin K
Luminous intensity Candela Cd
Amount of substance Mole mol

Derived quantities are quantities obtained by computation (multiplication or division) of basic

physical quantities, for example, area, volume and density.

Length
Length is a measure of distance between two points.
Breadth, width, height, radius, depth and diameter are all lengths.
The SI unit of length is the metre (m).
The multiples and sub-multiples of the metre are as below:

Unit Symbol Equivalence in metres

Kilometre km 1 000
Hectometre Hm 100
Dekametre Dm 10
Decimetre dm 0.1
Centimetre cm 0.01
Millimetre mm 0.001
Micrometre m 0.000001

Measurement of Length
Length can be determined by estimation or accurately by using a measuring instrument. There are
various instruments for measuring length. The choice of the instrument is determined by the level
of the accuracy desired and the size of the object to be measured.

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 MEASUREMENT I 3
Some instruments used to measure length are meter rule and tape-measure.

Metre Rules
For day-to-day work in Physics, metre rules and half-metre rules are used. They are graduated in
centimetres and millimetres.
The following procedure should always be followed when using a metre rule:
(i) Place the metre rule in contact with the object.
(ii) Place the end of the object against the zero
mark on the scale.
(iii) Position your eye perpendicularly above the
scale.
Note: When the eye is not perpendicular to the scale,
there is an error due to parallax.

Reading a metre rule

Consider the reading shown by the arrow below.
The reading is more than 1.6 cm but less than 1.7 cm.
The second decimal place is approximated. It is 1.67 cm.
It could even be 1.66 cm.

The readings from a metre rule may be written up to the second decimal place of a centimetre.
The second decimal place should be 0 or 5. If the readings 5.6 cm and 6 cm are taken with a metre
rule, then they should be written as 5.60 cm and 6.00 cm respectively.

Example
What are the readings indicated by arrows P1, P2 and P3 on the metre rule below?

Solution

P1 = 69.50 cm
P2 = 71.00 cm
P3 = 71.50 cm

Tape-Measure
There are several types of tape-measures, for example, tailor’s, carpenter’s and surveyor’s types.
The choice of a tape-measure is determined by the nature of the distance to be measured. For
example, to measure the length and breadth of a plot of land, or the distance covered by a discus
or javelin throw, a surveyor’s tape-measure would be the most convenient.
Always ensure that the tape-measure is taut when measuring.
 4 | MECHANICS

Measurement of Curved Length

Curved lengths such as roads and railway lines on a map or dimensions of some containers can be
measured using a thread. The thread is placed along the required lengths and the length is then
found by placing the thread on a millimetre scale. For curved surfaces such as a cylinder, a thread
is closely wrapped around the surface a number of times.

Experiment To measure the circumference of a cylinder using a thread

Apparatus
A cylinder, a thread, a metre rule.
Procedure
• Closely wrap a thin thread 10 times around a cylinder,
as shown above.
• Mark with ink the beginning and end of the turns.
• Remove the thread.
• Measure the length between the ink marks and call it
a1
� Repeat three times recording the readings as a2 and a3
a1 +a2 +a3
to ensure accuracy of your measurement. Find the average length a: a =
3
� Divide the average length by 10 to find the length of one turn. This gives the circumference of
the cylinder. Thus;
a
� Circumference of the cylinder =
10
Data analysis
The diameter of the cylinder is obtained by using the formula;
Circumference = πD (where D is the diameter)
circumference
Diameter =
π
But D = 2r, where r is the radius.
circumference
Hence, r =
2π

Estimation of Length
Some lengths, like the height of a tree can be estimated by comparing them with that of a chosen
basic length called a standard length.
The height of a tree can be estimated by measuring the length of its shadow and comparing with
the length of the shadow of a rod about 2 meters long. The height of the tree can then be estimated
from the relation:
height of tree length of shadow of the tree
=
height of rod length of shadow of the rod
Consider a certain experiment in which the following measurements were recorded:
Height of the rod = 180 cm
Length of the shadow of the rod = 116 cm
Length of the shadow of the tree = 840 cm.

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 MEASUREMENT I 5
Height of the tree would be given by;
height of rod × length of the shadow of tree
Height of tree =
length of shadow of the rod
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 ×𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖
=
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
= 1 303.4 cm
= 1 300 cm
Therefore, the height of the tree is approximately 13 m.

Example
1. Atieno found that the width of her desk was approximately 10 palm-lengths. If her palm
was 15.0 cm long, what was the width of her desk in centimetres?
Solution
1 palm-length is 15.0 cm long.
Therefore, 10 palm-lengths
= (15.0 × 10) cm
= 150.0 cm
Hence, width of her desk was approximately 150.0 cm.
2. Charo found that the perimeter of his farming plot was approximately 200 strides. His stride
was 0.9 m long. What was the perimeter of the plot?

Area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a given surface on a plane. It is a derived quantity
of length.
The SI unit of area is the square metre, written as m2.
It can also be measured in multiples and sub-multiples of m2, for example, cm2 and km2.

Unit Symbol Equivalence in square metres

Square Kilometre Km2 1 000 000

square Hectometre Hm2 10 000
square Dekametre Dm2 100
square Decimetre dm2 0.01
square Centimetre cm2 0.0001
square Millimetre mm2 0.000001
square Micrometre μm2 0.00000000001

Example
Express each of the following in cm2:
7.5
(a) 7.5 m2 = cm2 = 75 000 cm2
0.0001
0.09
(b) 0.09 m2 = = 900 cm2
0.0001
 6 | MECHANICS
0.0000007
(d) 0.0000007 km2 = = 7 000 cm2
0.0000000001

Measurement of Area
Area can be measure by applying the appropriate formula for regular objects or by estimation for
irregularly shaped objects.

Area of regularly-shaped objects

The area of regularly-shaped surfaces such as rectangles, triangles and circles can be obtained by
applying appropriate formulae.

Shape Area Shape Area

1
area = length × width A = (a +b) h
2
=l×w
= lw

1
A = (base × height) A = πr2
2
1
= (b × h)
2
1
= bh
2

Area of irregularly-shaped surfaces

An estimate of the area of an irregular shape can be made by dividing it up into squares, each of
area 1 cm2.By counting the number of small squares, the area can be estimated.

Examples
1. Estimate the area of the irregular surface shown below by counting the small squares.
Solution
The number of complete squares = 39
Number of incomplete squares = 30
39
These are equal to = 15 complete squares
2

Therefore, the number of complete squares = 39 + 15 = 54

Hence, the estimated area of the surface
= 54 × 1 cm2 = 54 cm 2
2. Trace the shape of a leaf on a graph paper and estimate its area.
3. The diameter of the bore of capillary tube is 1.0 mm. Calculate the cross-section area of the
bore in cm2. (Take π = 3.142).
4. A sheet of paper measures 25 cm by 15 cm. Calculate its area in mm2.

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 MEASUREMENT I 7

Volume
Volume is the amount of space occupied by matter.
The SI unit of volume is cubic metre (m3).
However, sub-multiples of m3, for example, cm3 and mm3, are commonly used since the m3 is very
large.
1 m3 = 1 m × 1 m × 1 m
= 100 cm × 100 cm × 100 cm
= 1 000 000 cm3
Other units like litres (l) and millilitres (ml) are also used.
1 ml = 1 cm3
1 000 ml = 1 litre
1 m3 = 1 000 000 cm3

Volume of Regularly-Shaped Solids

The volume of regularly-shaped solids can be obtained by applying the appropriate formula.
Object Volume (V) Object Volume(V)
V = (ab)c 4
V= πr2
= abc 3

V = (πr2)h 1
V= bhl
= (πr2)h 2

Practice Examples
1. Find the volume of a sphere whose radius is 3.0 cm.
Solution-Apply appropriate formula as above. V=113.14 cm3
2. A sphere of diameter 6.0 cm is moulded into a thin uniform wire of diameter 0.2 mm.
Calculate the length of the wire in metres.
Solution-The volume of the sphere and the wire are equal. Apply appropriate formulae
for both.
Length of wire=3600 m.
3. The volume of mercury thread in a capillary tube is 1 cm3. If the length of the mercury thread
is 1 m, calculate the radius of the bore of the capillary tube.
 8 | MECHANICS

Measurement of Volume of Liquids

One of the methods which can be used to measure the volume of a
liquid is to pour the liquid into a container with a uniform cross-
section, as shown below.
The height of the liquid, h, is measured.
The volume of the liquid is then obtained by applying the formula;
V = area of cross-section × height
V = Ah, where A = l × b and h is the height.
Therefore, V = l bh
Measuring cylinders are marked off such that volumes of liquids can be read off directly.
Measuring cylinders are made of glass or transparent plastic and graduated in cm3 or ml.
Measuring flasks, pipettes, burettes and beakers can also be used to measure volumes of liquids.

Burettes, volumetric flasks and pipettes are used to transfer known(accurate) volumes of
liquids. The burette delivers volumes of up to 50 cm3.
Important Notes
(i) The scale of the burette begins from zero at the top
and increases downwards to the maximum value.
For example, a reading of 31.0 ml on the burette means
that the volume of the liquid poured from the burette is
31.0 ml and the volume left in the burette is (50 – 31)
ml, i.e., 19.0 ml.
(ii) While using the measuring vessels, the reading of
volume is taken with the eye positioned level with the
bottom of the meniscus, as shown. In the figure, the
volume of the liquid is 24.0 cm3.

Measuring the Volume of an Irregularly-Shaped Solid

Volumes of irregular solids are measured using the displacement method.
The method works with solids that are not soluble in water, do not absorb water, do not react
with water or sink in water.

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 MEASUREMENT I 9
Experiments To determine the volume of an irregularly-shaped object
(a) Using a measuring cylinder
Apparatus
Measuring cylinder, stone, thread and Eureka can.
Procedure
• Partly fill a measuring cylinder with water. Note the volume V1 of the water.

• Tie a stone (that can be fitted into the measuring cylinder) with a thread and lower it gently into
the cylinder until it is wholly submerged. Ensure that there are no air bubbles surrounding the
stone.
• Record the new volume V2.
Result
The volume of the stone, V = V2 – V1.

(b) Using a Eureka can

A Eureka or displacement can is a container with a spout from the side. It is used to measure
volumes by displacement method. It is also known as an overflow can.
Procedure
• Fill the Eureka can with water until it flows out of the spout. Once the flow has stopped, place
a measuring cylinder under the spout of the can.
• Tie the solid whose volume you want to determine with a thread and lower it gently into the
can until it is completely submerged.

Result
The volume of water collected in the measuring cylinder is the volume of the object.
NB: When finding the volume of an object that floats on water, e.g., a cork, another object that
sinks in water is attached to it so that both are totally submerged. This object is known as a sinker.
 10 | MECHANICS
Practice Examples
1. Describe how you would measure the volume of a cork using a sinker, a thread, a measuring
cylinder and water only.
2. Explain why displacement method is unsuitable for determining the volume of solids such as
charcoal, ice, wooden blocks and bricks.
3. A wire of radius 3.0 mm and length 200 m is melted into a sphere. Calculate the radius of the
sphere in metres.
4. A sphere of radius 10.0 cm is moulded into a uniform cylindrical wire of same radius r.
Calculate the length of the wire in millimetres.
5. Convert each of the following volumes to m3:
(a) 1 500 000 000 cm3
(b) 20.0 l
(c) 1.0 ml
(d) 9 000 000 000 mm

Mass
The mass of an object is the quantity of matter in it.
The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (symbol kg).
The commonly used sub-multiples and multiples of the kilogram are given in the table below.
Unit Symbol Equivalence in kilogram

1 tonne t 1 000

1 gram g 0.001

1 milligram mg 0.000001

The mass of an object is the same everywhere because the number of particles in an object
remains constant.

Measurement of Mass
There are two common balances for measuring mass, namely, the electrical and the mechanical
types. The electrical balance is the most accurate for measuring mass.

©VictorVC
 MEASUREMENT I 11

Time
Time is a measure of duration of an event.
The SI unit to time is second(s).
Multiple and sub-multiple units of the second are shown below

Time Symbol Equivalent Seconds

Microsecond μs 0.000001
Millisecond ms 0.001
Minute min 60
Hour hr 3 600
Day day 86 400
Week wk 604 800

Measurement of Time
In laboratories, intervals of time are measured using either a stopwatch or stop-clock, depending
on the accuracy required.
Modern stopwatches are digital. They are preferred due to their ease of handling and reading.
Stop-clocks are used when high precision is not required.

Density
The density of a substance is its mass per unit volume.
Its symbol is rho(ρ) and its SI unit is kilogram per cubic metre (kgm–3).
Another commonly used unit is gram per cubic centimetre (gcm–3)
From the definition, the density of a substance is given by;
mass
Density =
volume
𝒎𝒎
ρ =
𝑽𝑽

Practice Examples
1. The density of water is 1 gcm–3. Express this density in kgm–3.
Solution
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝟏𝟏 𝐠𝐠
Density of water = =
𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕𝐕 𝟏𝟏 𝐜𝐜𝐦𝐦𝟑𝟑
𝟏𝟏
1 cm3 = m3
𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
𝟏𝟏
𝐤𝐤𝐤𝐤
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
Density of water = 𝟏𝟏 = 1000 kg/m3
𝐦𝐦𝟑𝟑
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
 12 | MECHANICS
2. The density of concentrated sulphuric acid is 1.8 gcm–3. Calculate the volume of 3.1 kg
of the acid.
Solution
Density = 1.8 gcm–3, Mass = 3 100 g
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑
Volume = =
𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝 𝟏𝟏.𝟖𝟖
= 1 722 cm or 0.001722 m3 3

3. A block of glass of mass 187.5 g is 5.0 cm long, 2.0 cm thick and 7.5 cm high. Calculate
the density of the glass in kgm–3.
4. The density of mercury is 13.6 gcm–3. Find the volume of 2 720 g of mercury in m3.
5. The mass of 25 cm3 of ivory was found to be 0.045 kg. Calculate the density of ivory (in
SI units) giving your answer in Kg/m3

Measurement of Density
There are several ways of determining the density of various substances.

To Measure the Density of a Solid

The mass and the volume of the object is
found by measurement. The density of the
object is then calculated from the formula:
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦
Density =
𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯

Experiment To find the density of a liquid

Apparatus
Clean dry beaker, balance, measuring cylinder, a burette or a pipette.
Procedure
• Find the mass m1 of a clean dry beaker using a balance.
• Measure a known volume V of the liquid using either a measuring cylinder, a burette or a
pipette.
• Transfer the liquid into the beaker.
• Find the mass m2 of the beaker with the liquid.
Result
Mass of the liquid = m2 – m1
𝑚𝑚2 −𝑚𝑚1
Density of liquid =
𝑉𝑉

Worked Example
A rectangular tank measures 12.5 m long, 10.0 m wide and 2.0 m high. Calculate the mass of water
in the tank when it is full. Density of water is 1 000 kgm–3. (Assume the measurements are internal)

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 MEASUREMENT I 13
Solution
Volume of water in tank = 12.5×10×2 = 250 m3
Mass = density × volume
= 1 000 × 250 = 250 000 kg

The Density Bottle

A density bottle is a small glass bottle fitted with glass
stopper which has a hole through which excess liquid can
flow out. Normally, the density bottle has its capacity
indicated on the side.
Precautions when using a density bottle.
• The bottle is held by the neck when wiping it dry.
This is because when held in the hands, it may
expand due to body warmth.
• The outside of the bottle must be wiped carefully.
• It must be ensured that there are no air bubbles when the bottle is
filled with liquid.

Procedure used to find the density of a liquid using a density bottle

• Measure the mass m1 of a clean dry density bottle with its stopper.
• Fill the bottle with liquid and replace the stopper. Dry the bottle on
the outside (excess liquid overflows through the hole in the
stopper).
• Measure the mass m2 of the bottle plus the liquid.
If the capacity of the bottle is V, then;
𝑚𝑚2 −𝑚𝑚1
Density of liquid =
𝑉𝑉
Experiment To measure the density of a solid using a density bottle
This method is used for solids in form of grains, beads or turnings. It is unsuitable for solids which
are either soluble in water or react with it.
Apparatus
Density bottle and lead shot, beam balance.
Procedure
• Measure the mass m1 of a clean dry empty density bottle, (a).
• Fill the bottle partly with lead shot and measure the mass m2.

• Fill up the bottle with water up to the neck and measure its mass m3, (c).
• Empty the bottle and rinse it.
 14 | MECHANICS

• Fill it with water and replace the stopper. Wipe the outside dry and measure the mass m4 of the
bottle filled with water(d).
Results
Mass of water = (m4 – m1) g
Volume of water = m4 – m1 (since density of water is 1 gcm–3)
Therefore, volume of bottle. = (m4 – m1) cm3
Mass of lead shot = (m2 –m1) g
Mass of water present when bottle is filled with lead shot and water = (m3 – m2) g
Volume of water = (m3 – m2) cm3
Volume of lead shot= (m4 – m1) – (m3 – m2)
𝒎𝒎𝟐𝟐 −𝒎𝒎𝟏𝟏
Therefore, density of lead shot =
(𝒎𝒎𝟐𝟐 −𝒎𝒎𝟏𝟏 )− (𝒎𝒎𝟐𝟐 −𝒎𝒎𝟏𝟏 )

Practice Examples
1. The mass of a density bottle is 20 g when empty and 45 g when full of water. When full of
mercury, its mass is 360 g. Calculate the density of mercury.
Solution
Mass of water = 45 – 20 = 25 g
Volume of water = 25 cm3 (density of water is 1 gcm–3)
Therefore, volume of bottle = 25 cm3
Mass of mercury = 360 – 20 = 340 g
Volume of mercury = 25cm3 (volume of the density bottle)
𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑
Density of mercury = = 13.6 gcm–3 = 13 600 kgm–3
𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐

2. The mass of an empty density bottle is 20 g. Its mass when filled with water is 40.0 g and 50.0
g when filled with liquid X. Calculate the density of liquid X if the density of water is 1 000
kgm–3.
Solution
Mass of water = 40.0 -20.0 =20.0 g = 0.02 kg.
Density of water = 1 000 kgm-3
𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
Therefore, volume of water = = 0.00002 m3. This is also the volume of the bottle.
𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
Mass of the liquid =50.0 – 20.0 = 30.0 g = 0.03 kg.
Volume of liquid = volume of bottle = 0.00002 m3
𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
Therefore, density of the liquid =
𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
= 1 500 kgm-3

©VictorVC
 MEASUREMENT I 15

Densities of Mixtures
The density of the mixture lies between the densities of its constituent substances and depends on
their proportions. It is assumed that the volume of the mixture is equal to the sum of the volumes
of the individual constituents.
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭 𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦
Density of the mixture =
𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭 𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦

Practice Examples
1. 100 cm3 of fresh water of density 1 000 kgm–3 is mixed with 100 cm3 of sea water of density 1
030 kgm–3. Calculate the density of the mixture.
Solution
Mass of fresh water = density × volume
𝐤𝐤𝐤𝐤 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
= 1 000 × m3 = 0.1 kg
𝐦𝐦𝟑𝟑 𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
𝐤𝐤𝐤𝐤 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
Mass of sea water = 1 030 × m3 = 0.103 kg
𝐦𝐦𝟑𝟑 𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
Mass of the mixture = mass of fresh water + mass of sea water
= (0.1 + 0.103) kg = 0.203 kg
Volume of mixture = volume of fresh water + volume of sea water
𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐
= 100 cm3 + 100 cm3 = 200 cm3 = m3
𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝟎𝟎.𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 × 𝟏𝟏 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
Therefore, density of mixture = = kgm-3
𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐
= 1 015 kgm-3

2. Bronze is made by mixing molten copper and tin. If 100 kg of the mixture contains 80% by
mass of copper and 20% by mass of tin, calculate the density of bronze. (Density of copper
is 8 900 kgm–3 and density of tin 7 000 kgm–3)
Solution
Mass of copper in the mixture = 100 × 80% = 80 kg
Mass of tin in the mixture =100 × 20% = 20 kg
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜 𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖
Volume of copper = = = 0.00899 m3
𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜 𝟖𝟖 𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐
Volume of tin = = = 0.00286 m3
𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝𝐝 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭𝐭 𝟕𝟕 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
Volume of bronze = volume of copper + volume of tin
= (0.00899 + 0.00286) m3 = 0.01185 m3
𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛 𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖 + 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
Density of bronze = = =
𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯𝐯 𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛𝐛 𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎
= 8 439 kgm -3
 16 | MECHANICS
3. In finding the density of liquid, why is the method of using a density bottle more accurate
than the one of using a measuring cylinder?
4. An empty density bottle has a mass of 25 g. Its mass is 50 g when full of water and 45 g when
full of another liquid. What is the density of the liquid in kgm–3?
5. Describe an experiment to find the density of copper turnings using a density bottle and
kerosene.
6. The mass of a density bottle is 20.0 g when empty, 70.0 g when full of water and 55.0 g when
full of a second liquid. Calculate the density of the liquid.
7. The mass of a density bottle of volume 50 cm3 is 10.0 g when empty. Aluminium turnings are
poured into the bottle and the total mass is 60.0 g. Water is then added into the turnings till
the bottle is full. If the total mass of the bottle and its contents is 90.0 g, calculate the density
of the aluminium turnings.
8. 1 800 cm3 of fresh water of density 1000 kgm–3 is mixed with 2 200 cm3 of sea water of density
1 025 kgm–3. Calculate the density of the mixture.
9. A density bottle has a mass of 17.5 g when empty. When full of water, its mass is 37.5 g.
When full of liquid X, its mass is 35 g. If the density of water is 1 000 kgm–3, find the density
of liquid X.

©VictorVC
 MEASUREMENT I 17

Review Exercises
1. Figure 1 shows the change in volume of water in a measuring cylinder when an irregular
solid is immersed in it.

Given that the mass of the solid is 567 g, determine the density of the solid in gcm-3
(Give your answer correct to 2 decimal places) (3 marks)

2. A drug manufacturer gives the mass of the active ingredient in a tablet as 5 mg. Express
this quantity in kilogramme and in standard form. (1 mark)

3. The masses of equal volumes of a certain liquid and of water were found to be ml and mw
respectively. Given that the density of water is 1gcm-3, express the density, ρ, of the liquid
in terms of ml and mw. (show your working) (2 marks)

4. In an experiment to measure the density of a liquid, a student filled a burette with a liquid
to the 0 cm3 mark. Figure 1 shows a section of the burette showing the level of the liquid
after 54.5 g of the liquid had been run out

Determine the density of the liquid. (3 marks)

5. A stop watch started 0.50 s after the start button was pressed. The time recorded using
the stop watch for a ball bearing failing through a liquid was 2.53s. Determine the time of
fall. (1 mark)
 18 | MECHANICS
6. In an experiment to determine the density of sand using a density bottle, the
measurements were recorded:

Mass of empty density bottle = 43.2g

Mass of density bottle full of water = 66.4g
Mass of density bottle with some sand = 67.5g
Mass of density bottle with the sand
filled up with water = 82.3g

Use the above data to determine the:

(a) Mass of the water that completely filled the bottle; (2 marks)

(b) Volume of water that completely filled the bottle; (1 mark)

(c) Volume of the density bottle; (1 mark)

(d) Mass of sand; (1 mark)

(e) Mass of water that filled the space above the sand; (1 marks)

(f) Volume of the sand; (3 marks)

(g) Density of the sand. (2 marks)

7. Figure 1 shows a measuring cylinder containing some water.

Determine the reading on the measuring cylinder, after three drops of water each of volume
0.6cm3 are added. (2 marks)

8. A student measured the length of a wire four times using a metre rule and obtained the
following readings: 18.6 cm; 18.5 cm and 18:5 cm. Determine the length the student
should record. (2 marks)

©VictorVC
 MEASUREMENT I 19
9. Figure 2 (a) shows the initial reading of a burette used to measure the volume of oil.
After 50 drops of the oil were run out, the final reading was as shown in Figure 2 (b)

Determine the volume of one drop of oil (1 mark)

10. Mechanics is one of the branches of physics. State what it deals with. (1 mark)

11. In an experiment to determine the density of Liquid R, a student obtained the followed
data:
- Mass of an empty density bottle = 55.0 g
- Mass of the density bottle + water = 80.0 g
- Mass of the density bottle + Liquid R = 70.0 g
Determine the density of Liquid R. (density of water is 1000 kgm-3) (3 marks)

12. Figure 1 shows the position of a student’s eye while illustrating the length of a wooden
block using a metre rule.

Determine the length of the block as viewed by the student. (1 mark)