Video Transcript
If a substance has a mass given in
units of grams and volume given in units of cubic centimeters, what unit will the
density of the substance be measured in?
Density tells us how compact a
substance is. In other words, density is how
closely particles in a substance or object are packed. The air particles in a balloon are
loosely packed. Air has a low density. Iron particles in an iron nail are
closely packed. Iron has a high density.
We can define density as the mass
of a substance per unit volume of that substance. In other words, we can calculate
the density of a substance by measuring its mass then dividing the mass by its
volume. Mass has many units. Mass can be measured in grams,
kilograms, milligrams, and so on. There are also different units for
volume. We can measure volume in
centimeters cubed, millimeters cubed, meters cubed and so on.
The question says a substance has a
mass measured in grams, whose symbol is lowercase g, and a volume measured in cubic
centimeters, whose symbol is cm cubed. So if we take a mass value in grams
and divide it by a volume value in centimeters cubed, we get a value for density in
grams per centimeter cubed, or g forward slash cm cubed.
Finally, what will the unit of the
density of a substance be if its mass is measured in grams and its volume is
measured in cubic centimeters? The answer is grams per cubic
centimeter, or g slash cm cubed.
