Density Curriculum

Section 2—Lesson 4: How Can We Calculate Density From The Relationship Between Mass and Volume?

Understanding Goals

Subject Matter

  • Density can be calculated by knowing the relationship between mass and volume.
  • Density is measured in units of mass per volume: g/cm3 (grams per cubic centimeter) or g/ml (grams per milliliter).
  • If you know the mass and volume of something, you can figure out its density by dividing the mass by the volume (D = M/V). If you know the density and the volume, you can figure out the mass by multiplying the density times the volume (M = D x V). If you know the density and mass, you can figure out the volume by dividing the mass by the density (V = M/D). There is no reason to memorize all three formulas. If you understand the relationships involved, you can easily figure them out.

Causality

  • Density is a relational concept. It requires that we hold two variables, mass and volume, in our heads and reason about their relationships rather than focus on a single variable.