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Density
*** Shopping-Tip: Density
:'' For other senses of "density", see
density (disambiguation).''
'''Density''' (symbol: ''ρ'' -
Greek language Greek:
Rho (letter) rho) is a measure of
mass per unit of
volume. The higher an object's density, the higher its
mass per
volume. The average density of an object equals its total mass
division (mathematics) divided by its total volume. A denser object (such as
iron) will have less volume than an equal mass of some less dense substance (such as
water).
The '''
SI unit''' of density is the
kilogram per cubic metre ('''
kilogram kg·
cubic metre m-3''')
:
where
:''ρ'' is the object's density (measured in kilograms per cubic metre)
:''m'' is the object's total
mass (measured in kilograms)
:''V'' is the object's total
volume (measured in cubic metres)
Under specified conditions of temperature and pressure, density of a fluid is defined as described above. However, the density of a solid material can be different, depending on exactly how it is defined. Take
sand for example. If you gently fill a container with sand, and divide the mass of sand by the container volume you get a value termed ''loose
bulk density''. If you took this same container and tapped on it repeatedly, allowing the sand to settle and pack together, and then calculate the results, you get a value termed ''tapped'' or ''packed bulk density''. Tapped bulk density is always greater than or equal to loose bulk density. In both types of bulk density, some of the volume is taken up by the spaces between the grains of sand.
Also, in terms of
candy making, density is affected by the melting and cooling processes. Loose granular
sugar, like sand, contains a lot of air and is not tightly packed, but when it has melted and starts to boil, the sugar loses its granularity and entrained air and becomes a fluid. When you mold it to make a smaller, compacted shape, the syrup tightens up and loses more air. As it cools, it contracts and gains moisture, making the already heavy candy even more dense.
A more theoretical definition is also available. Density can be calculated based on crystallographic information and molar mass:
:
where
:''M'' is molar mass
:''N'' is the number of atoms in a unit cell
:''L'' is
Loschmidt or
Avogadro's number
:''a, b, c'' are the
lattice parameters
The density with respect to temperature, T, has the following relation:
:
where
:''C'' is the coefficient of cubic expansion.
Experimentally density can be found by measuring the dry weight (
), the wet weight (
) and submersed weight (
), usually in water.
:
Other units
'''Density''' in terms of the SI base units is expressed in terms of
kilograms per cubic
metre (kg·m
-3). Other units fully within the SI include grams per cubic centimetre (g·cm
-3) and megagrams per cubic metre (Mg·m
-3). Since both the
litre and the
tonne or metric ton are also acceptable for use with the SI, a wide variety of units such as kilograms per litre (kg·L
-1) are also used.
Imperial units or
US customary units U.S. customary units, the units of density include
pound (weight) pounds per
cubic foot (lb/ft³), pounds per cubic yard (lb/yd³), pounds per cubic inch (lb/in³), ounces per cubic inch (oz/in³), pounds per
gallon (for U.S. or imperial gallons) (lb/gal), pounds per U.S.
bushel (lb/bu), in some engineering calculations
slug (mass) slugs per cubic foot, and other less common units.
The maximum density of pure water at a pressure of one standard
Atmosphere (unit) atmosphere is 999.972 kg·m
-3; this occurs at a temperature of about 3.98 °C (277.13 K).
From
1901 to
1964, a litre was defined as exactly the volume of 1 kg of water at maximum density, and the maximum density of pure water was 1.000 000 kg·L
-1 (now 0.999 972 kg·L-1). However, while that definition of the litre was in effect, just as it is now, the maximum density of pure water was 0.999 972 kg·dm-3. During that period students had to learn the esoteric fact that a cubic centimetre and a millilitre were slightly different volumes, with 1 mL = 1.000 028 cm³. (often stated as 1.000 027 cm³ in earlier literature).
Measurement of density
A common device for measuring fluid density is a pycnometer. A device for measuring absolute density of a solid is a gas pycnometer.
Density of substances
Perhaps the highest density known is reached in neutron star matter (see neutronium). The gravitational singularity singularity at the centre of a black hole, according to general relativity, does not have any volume, so its density is undefined.
The most dense naturally occurring substance on Earth is iridium, at about 22650 kg·m-3.
A table of densities of various substances:
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0"
|colspan="2" align="center" | '''Density of air ''ρ'' vs. temperature °C '''
|-
|''T'' in °C || ''ρ'' in kg·m-3
|-
| - 10 || 1.341
|-
| - 5 || 1.316
|-
| 0 || 1.293
|-
| + 5 || 1.269
|-
| + 10 || 1.247
|-
| + 15 || 1.225
|-
| + 20 || 1.204
|-
| + 25 || 1.184
|-
| + 30 || 1.164
|}
Note the low density of aluminium compared to most other metals. For this reason, aircraft are made of aluminium. Also note that air has a nonzero, albeit small, density. Aerogel is the world's lightest solid.
See also
*ISO 31: '''volumic mass'''
*Dord
*Standard temperature and pressure
*Relative density (specific gravity)
*Charge density
*Energy density
*Population density
Category:Continuum mechanics
Category:Introductory physics
Category:Fundamental physics concepts
Category:Physical quantity
Category:Physical chemistry
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et:Tihedus
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eo:Denseco
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nl:Dichtheid
ja:密度
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pl:Gęstość
pt:Massa volúmica
ro:Densitate
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