Final answer:
The density of the jewelry is calculated to be 10.52 g/cm³. Given this density, the jewelry could be made of silver or a gold alloy, as it is less dense than pure gold.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the density of a large piece of jewelry, we can use the mass provided and calculate the volume based on the water displacement method. As the jewelry is submerged in a graduated cylinder, the increase in water volume is the volume of the jewelry. Specifically, the initial volume is 48.6 mL, and after submersion, it is 61.2 mL. Therefore, the volume of the jewelry is 61.2 mL - 48.6 mL = 12.6 cm³.
The mass of the jewelry is 132.6 g, so the density (d) can be calculated as:
d = mass/volume = 132.6 g / 12.6 cm³ = 10.52 g/cm³.
Given the calculated density, we can infer what substance the jewelry is likely made of. Gold has a density of approximately 19.3 g/cm³. The jewelry's density is less than that of gold, suggesting it could be made of a substance like silver or a gold alloy, as pure silver has a density of around 10.49 g/cm³, which is very close to our calculated density.