Question

A student places four small pieces of sulfur on an electronic balance and finds they have a combined mass of 23.76 grams. The student then fills a graduated cylinder with water to 60.0 mL. The four pieces of sulfur are then added to the cylinder, and the volume now reads 70.0 mL. Calculate the density of the sulfur. (Show all work!) (Watch sig. fig.'s!)

a) 1.68 g/mL
b) 1.76 g/mL
c) 2.38 g/mL
d) 2.76 g/mL

Answer 1

The density of sulfur is calculated using the mass of the sulfur and the volume of water displaced. Correcting for significant figures, the density is 2.38 g/mL, making option (c) the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the density of the sulfur, we use the formula density = mass/volume. The combined mass of the sulfur pieces is 23.76 grams, and when submerged in water, the volume they displace is equal to the change in the water level, which is the final volume minus the initial volume (70.0 mL - 60.0 mL = 10.0 mL).

The calculated density is then 23.76 grams ÷ 10.0 mL = 2.376 g/mL. To honor the rule of significant figures, the answer should be reported with the same number of significant figures as the measurement with the least number, which is three in this case. Hence, the final reported density of sulfur is 2.38 g/mL, making option (c) the correct answer.