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Ask the students for the meaning of the term “density”. Compare their responses to the definition of density below once a few answers have been heard.
Density is related to mass, which is the measurement of the amount of matter (essentially, the amount of "stuff"), inside an object. Density is the measurement of the amount of mass that is found in a confined space. Thus, the density of a substance (solid, liquid, or gas) can be simply understood as the “compactness,” or “thickness,” of that substance. By definition, the density, ρ, of a substance is equal to its mass, m, divided by its volume, v.
Overview:
This thinking gives us the scientific formula for density that follows.
Density = Mass/Volume (or ρ = M/V) where the Greek letter rho (ρ), or P, is the symbol for density
If we know two of the parameters, we can solve for the third component. If the mass and volume are known, then we can calculate the density; if the density and volume are known, we can calculate the mass; and if the density and mass are known, we can calculate the volume of the object.
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