Week -4

Mass, Weight &Density

1.3 and 1.4
1.3 Mass and weight
State that mass is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object at rest relative to the observer
State that the mass of an object resists change from its state of rest or motion (inertia)
Know that weights, and therefore masses, may be compared using a beam balance or equal-arm balance
Describe how to determine mass using an electronic balance
Describe how to measure weight using a force meter
Define gravitational field strength as force per unit mass; recall and use the equation

gravitational field strength = weight

mass

g = W/m

and know that this is equivalent to the acceleration of free fall

State that a gravitational field is a region in which a mass experiences a force due to gravitational attraction

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Learning Outcomes
In this section, you’ll be able to:
define mass
differentiate between mass and weight
define density
recall and apply weight W = m x g to solve problems

define gravitational field and gravitational field strength g

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Define mass:

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter or

substance in a body.
or
A measure of the quantity of matter in an
object at rest relative to an observer.
The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg)
 The measurement of inertia is called mass.
Or
It is the measure of inertia in an object.
Inertia
It is a tendency of a body to resist sudden changes in the state
of rest or motion.
Inertia depends upon mass. The greater the mass, the larger
would be the inertia.

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Weight

Weight is a force and has direction pointing towards the centre of

the earth (downwards).

A gravitational force on an object that has mass.

Its SI unit is the Newton (N).

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Gravitational field

A gravitational field is a region in

which a mass experiences a force
due to gravitational attraction.

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 Gravitational Field

The Earth’s gravity is experienced by

any object near it.
The region surrounding the Earth
where gravity is experienced is
called the gravitational field.
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The force experienced is strongest on the
surface of the earth and gets weaker
further away.

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 Gravitational field strength
The gravitational field strength is defined as the force acting
per unit mass.
It is a vector quantity.
W=mg
g=W/m
Gravitational field strength= weight/mass
The strength of Earth’s field is therefore 9.8N/kg (10N/kg). It
is denoted by g.
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What is gravitational field strength?
Gravitational field strength g is defined as the gravitational
force acting per unit mass on an object.
On Earth, the gravitational field strength is about 10N/kg.
A mass of 1 kg will weight 10 N on Earth.
Measurement shows that on the Earth’s surface a mass of 1kg
experiences a force of 9.8N,i.e its weight is 9.8N.
On Moon, the gravitational field strength is about
1.6 N kg-1
A mass of 1 kg will weight 1.6 N on Moon.
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A satellite is launched from Earth into orbit.
What happens to the mass and weight of the
satellite?
The mass of the satellite remains the same.
Since the gravitational field strength is lower
in space than on Earth's surface, its weight
decreases.

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Difference between mass and weight
Mass Weight

Amount of matter in an object Weight is the gravitational force with

which a physical body is attracted
towards the center of the earth.
It is a scalar quantity It is a vector quantity

Mass remain constant does not Changes place to place

change from place to place
Mass is measured using a pan Weight is measured using a spring
balance or electronic balance balance

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 Mass Weight

S.I unit of mass is kilogram. SI unit of weight is Newton

kg N

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Electronic Balance

The most accurate

balance

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Spring Balance

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Key Ideas
1..Mass measures the amount of matter or substance in a body. The SI
unit is kilograms (kg)
2. Weight is the gravitational force acting on a body. The SI unit is newton
(N).
3. The weight of a body is related to its mass by the equation:
W = mg
5. The weight of an object varies according to the gravitational field
strength. The mass of an object is a physical property of the object that
does not change.

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1.4 Density

Define density as mass per unit volume; recall and use the equation

density = mass
volume

ρ=m
V
Describe how to determine the density of a liquid, of a regularly shaped solid and of an
irregularly shaped solid which sinks in a liquid (volume by displacement), including
appropriate calculations

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 Density
It is the amount of mass a material has for a
given volume.
Key definition
It is defined as mass per unit volume

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Density of a material is the quantity of matter packed into
a unit volume of material.

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Formula to calculate density

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 Calculations

Using the symbol p(rho) for density, m for mass

and V for volume, the expression for density is
density =m/v

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 Floating and sinking

An object sinks in liquid of lower density than its own;otherwise it

floats ,partly or wholly submerged.
For example, a piece of glass sinks in water but floats in mercury.
An iron nail sinks in water but an iron ship floats because its
average density is less than that of water, due to the low- density air
enclosed in the hull.
A liquid of low density will float on a liquid of higher density if the
two liquids do not mix.

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 Floating
Substances that float on water have lower
densities than water.
Ice ( ice = 917 kg m-3) has a lower density than
water
( water = 1000 kg m-3).
Hence we can observe that ice floats on water. Do
you know what would happen if we place the ice in
turpentine?

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 Key Ideas
1. The density of a substance is defined as its mass per unit
volume.
2. The SI units for density is kg m-3.

3. The density of a substance is a fixed physical property.

4. Substances that are less dense than water will float on water.
5. To measure density of a substance, we measure its:
a) Mass, e.g. With a beam balance or electron balance
b) Volume, e.g. Using mathematical formulae of volume (for
regular objects) or measuring the volume of water it
displaces (for irregular objects).

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 Example 1
400g of a liquid occupies the space of 300cm3.
a. Find its density?
b. what will be the mass of 800cm3 of this liquid?

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 Example 2
Q2. 300g of a liquid having density 1.2g/cm3 is
mixed with another liquid of mass 700g having
density 1g/cm3 .What is the density of mixture?

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a. Describe how to determine the volume of an
irregular object with the measuring cylinder.
b. Calculate the density of iron.
c. A third object, which is also made of copper,
has the same volume as the iron object.
Calculate the mass of this copper object.
d. State and explain what happens to the density
of the iron object when it is heated.

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 Densities of some common substances
solids Density g/cm3 Liquids Density g/cm3

Aluminum 2.7 petrol 0.80

copper 8.9 Pure water 1.0

iron 7.9 Mercury 13.6

gold 19.3 Gases Density g/cm3

glass 2.5 air 1.3

wood 0.80 Hydrogen 0.09

ice 0.92 Carbon dioxide 2.0

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 Volume of a liquid
A graduated cylinder can be used to measure the volume of a liquid.

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 Volume of irregular solids

If the object has an irregular

shape, the volume can be
measured by using a
measuring cylinder or a
displacement can.

Formula:
Volume of stone=final volume –Initial volume
Measuring the volume of a liquid with a graduated cylinder is
simple. The liquid is poured into the cylinder, and the reading
is taken from the lines marked on the graduated cylinder.
While reading the graduated cylinder, you have to keep your
eye perpendicular to the meniscus.
The meniscus is the curve at the upper part of the liquid. It is
formed due to surface tension, and can cause an error in your
reading if you are not careful enough .

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The volume of larger irregular objects can
be measured using a displacement can.

1. Fill the displacement can until the water

is level with the bottom of the pipe.
2. Place a measuring cylinder under the pipe
ready to collect the displaced water.
3. Carefully drop the stone into the can and
wait until no more water runs into the
cylinder .
4. Measure the volume of the displaced
water.