Lab #1 – Density: An Introduction to

Measurement in the Chemical Laboratory

Purpose: Upon completion of this lab period, the student will demonstrate proficiency in data
collection and analysis. Various methods of measurement will be used to determine the density of
various metal samples.

Tasks: The student will follow the explicit instructions given in the Procedure section provided.
All data collected will be entered into the corresponding tables and use the data to perform
calculations (with work shown). Finally, the students will use their best penny data to determine the
percentage of copper and zinc in their stack of pennies.

Criteria: Successful completion of this dry lab requires the student to: (1) safely follow the written
procedure and collect the necessary lab data, (2) show all calculations for calculated quantities such
as density and percent error, (3) utilize the correct number of significant figures, (4) calculate the
percent error in your measurements, (5) accurately determine the % composition of U.S. pennies.

Equipment: graduated cylinder (100 mL), ruler, electronic balance, pennies, and metal samples.

Safety precautions: Wear safety goggles and appropriate attire throughout the experiment.

Concepts Introduced: density, volume by water displacement, percent error, mass, volume.

Overview: The purpose of this lab is to give the student practice in collecting and interpreting data
in a lab setting. Density is defined as the mass of an object per unit volume or simply D=m/v. As the
density of a pure substance does not change, measurement of this quantity is very useful for
identification purposes.

In order to measure the density of a substance, values for both the mass and volume are
required. In this experiment, students will use an electronic balance to determine mass. Volume
can be measured in several different ways. For liquids it is easy to directly measure the volume with
a graduated cylinder of an appropriate size. In the case of solids that have a regular shape such as a
cube or cylinder, students will use geometry formulas to calculate their volume. For irregularly
shaped solids students will use the method of water displacement.

Initially students will measure the density of known samples of elements/compounds and
compare their results with reported literature values. Once the student has sufficient confidence,
they will measure the density of two different penny types in an attempt to determine their
elemental composition.

United States pennies are made from copper and zinc. U.S. pennies minted after 1982 have a zinc
core and a copper jacket. Prior to 1982, pennies were made of brass of uniform composition. In
1982, both types of pennies were produced.
Procedure:
A. Pick two different known solid samples, these will be labeled as copper, brass, or aluminum.
The first step in determining density is to measure the mass of each solid sample. Using the
electronic balance, separately record the mass of your metal sample on your data sheet. Record
all the decimal places shown on the balance (2 or 3 depending on the model).

B. Volume determination: Obtain a 100 mL graduated cylinder. Fill the cylinder with enough water
to completely submerge the cylinder and record the exact volume (to the nearest 0.1 mL) (Note:
distilled water is not necessary for this step.) Gently slide/place your solid sample in the water
until it is resting on the bottom. Place the graduated cylinder on the lab bench and record this
water volume as well in your data sheet. This reading will be higher than the first reading. The
volume of the metal is the difference between the two volume readings. Although we measured
the liquid level in mL, record the metal volume in cubic centimeters (cm3). One mL is
equivalent to 1 cm3.

Density calculations: Using the determined mass from part A. and the volumes from part B,
calculate the average density of the solid. The number of significant digits to show is the least
number of digits for the mass value and the volume, so round appropriately or add zeroes as
needed.
Compare your value with the true density value and calculate the percent error in your
measurement. Pay attention to significant figures.
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 = �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡
𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣−𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣
𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣
� × 100%

C. Repeat parts A and B. for the remaining solid.

D. Density of an unknown solid (pennies before or after 1983): Obtain at least ten pennies from the
instructor. Ensure that all of the pennies are either dated after 1983 or before 1983. Measure the
volume of the ten pennies and their mass. When measuring the volume, use the water
displacement method.

E. Remember that a stack of pennies is almost a regular cylinder. Use this information to calculate
the density of the pennies. Repeat this for the other set of pennies. The volume of a regular
cylinder; V = πr2h (where r = radius of cylinder, h = height). Use a ruler to measure the radius
and height in centimeters (not inches). Make sure that you record these values to at least the
nearest 0.05 cm (half a mm tick).
Calculate the density of the cylinder using this volume. Calculate the percent error in this
measurement as well.

F. Repeat the procedure with a set of pennies in the other date range (so if you initially chose
pennies older than 1983, now get 10 pennies that are newer).
Data:

Notes:
1. You do not have to weigh each metal sample twice. One mass measurement can be used
twice. You will measure the volume of each metal sample twice to verify accuracy.
2. You have a choice of three metals: brass (d= 8.40 g/cm3), copper (d= 8.92 g/cm3), and
aluminum (d= 2.70 g/cm3). Please write the name of the metal in the space provided in the
table below. Also fill in the true density in the table using the values provided above.

Metal #1 Metal #1 Metal #2 Metal #2

Metal name

Trial #1 Trial #2 Trial #1 Trial #2

Mass(g)

Initial water
level (mL)

Final water
level (mL)

Volume of
metal (cm3)

Density
(calc)
g/cm3 show
calculation
Density
(true)
g/cm3
Percent error
Show
calculation
Note: you will use the most accurate value for density for each penny type to calculate the final
percent error.
Pre 1983 pennies Post 1983 pennies
Mass of stack (g)

Initial water level

(mL)
Final water level
(mL)
Volume of metal
(cm3) by water
displacement
method
Show work of unit
conversion
Density (water
displacement
method)
g/cm3
Show calculation
work

Height of penny
stack (cm)
Radius of a penny
(cm)
Volume of penny
stack (Use V= πr2h)
in cm3
Show calculation

Density (volume
calculated with
ruler)
Show calculation

Density (true) 8.60 7.20

g/cm3
Percent error
Show calculation
Conclusions/Questions:

1. Did your calculated values of density for the known metals and pennies compare well with the actual
values? If not, what errors could have occurred?

2. Which measurement, mass or volume had more error associated with it and why?

3. Which method of volume measurement was more accurate, water displacement or the geometric
determination? How could you improve the less accurate method?

4. Pennies are not made of a pure metal, they are alloys or mixtures. The two metals present in pennies are
copper (8.92 g/cm3) and zinc (7.14 g/cm3). Using your best density data, calculate the percentage of each
metal in both of your samples of pennies.

Hints: You will need to write a system of equations of two equations and two unknowns to solve for the
fractional amount of metal in each penny type.

Let x = fraction of copper in the penny, let y = ______________________

e.g., if 20.0% copper in the alloy, then x = 0.200

One equation: D(coin) = x×D(Cu) + y×D(Zn)

Second equation: sum of fractions = 1

Rearrange second equation (expression one fraction in terms of other), substitute into first equation
=> 1 equation, 1 unknown. Solve this for one fraction, then solve for the other.

Utilize the back of this sheet for more space.