Determination of density of a liquid: revisited through the lens of conditions of floating

Abstract

Abstract A cost-effective method has been developed with utmost efficiency for the determination of density of a liquid. The experimental setup for this purpose is a Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cylinder fitted with an overflow spout, a volume measuring cylinder, a wooden block along with a hook and a known mass taken from scientific weight box. For this purpose, a PVC cylinder is filled up to the neck of the over flow spout with the liquid whose density is to be measured. A wooden block along with the hook is entered gently inside the cylinder, so that the wooden block along with the hook floats inside the liquid. As a result, some liquid will overflow through the overflow tube, and is collected in the volume measuring cylinder. The volume of the measuring cylinder is noted. Now the wooden block along with the hook is taken out from the liquid and a known mass from the weight box is fixed with the hook. The PVC cylinder again filled up with the liquid up to the neck of the overflow tube and put gently the wooden block fixed with the known mass by the hook inside the liquid. The fixed mass is such that the mass with the block floats inside the liquid, as a result some liquid will overflow again through the overflow tube and is collected in the volume measuring cylinder. The volume is recorded. This volume will be greater than the earlier one. From differences of volume and the mass associated with the block the density of the liquid used can easily be determined.