Density blocks: mass, volume, density

1. Pick a material in the Station panel. Then choose how many blocks to stack on the balance.
2. Read the balance for the mass and the ruler for the height. The readouts at the top show the same numbers.
3. Press Record this measurement to add a row to the data table. Record all four fills in 1, 2, 3 and 4 blocks at once.
4. Look at the mass and volume graph. Each material makes a straight line that starts at zero. A steeper line means a higher density.
5. Look at the Density stays the same graph. Each line is flat, because stacking more blocks does not change the density.
6. Want to do the math yourself? Check Hide volume and density, then work them out from the table.
7. The How carefully it is measured menu adds small measuring mistakes, like a real lab. Use Clear this station or Clear all to start over, and Copy data to paste your table somewhere else.

Mass is the amount of matter (stuff) in an object. The balance measures it in grams (g).

Volume is the amount of space an object takes up. For a block, multiply its three edges:

Volume = length × width × height

The units multiply too: cm × cm × cm = cm³ (cubic centimeters). One cube here is 2.5 × 2.5 × 2.5 = 15.625 cm³.

Density is how much mass is packed into each cubic centimeter. Divide the mass by the volume:

Density = mass ÷ volume

Density is measured in g/cm³ (grams per cubic centimeter). Two blocks can be the same size but have different masses. The one with more mass packed in has the higher density.

Will it float? Water has a density of 1 g/cm³. A solid with a density less than 1 g/cm³ floats in water. One with a density greater than 1 g/cm³ sinks.