Question

Dr. Harley Davidson, a geologist for the University of Oklahoma, is backpacking in western Arizona when he discovers a unique, yet unknown substance. Back at his lab Dr. Davidson measures the mass of the substance to be 35.6 grams. He then places the substance in a graduated cylinder with an initial reading of 100 mL of water which raises the water level to 115.75 ml. Using the information available to Dr. Davidson, determine the identity of the unknown substance.

A. Silicon
B. Carbon
C. Iron
D. Cadmium

Answer 1

To determine the identity of the unknown substance, calculate its density using the mass and volume information. None of the given options match the calculated density.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the identity of the unknown substance discovered by Dr. Harley Davidson, we need to calculate the density of the substance. Density is defined as the mass of an object divided by its volume. In this case, we have the mass of the substance (35.6 grams) and the change in volume of water when the substance was added to the graduated cylinder (115.75 mL - 100 mL = 15.75 mL).

The density of the substance can be calculated as:

Density = Mass/Volume

Density = 35.6 grams / 15.75 mL = 2.259 g/mL

Using the calculated density, we can compare it to the known densities of different substances to determine the identity of the unknown substance. In this case, the density of the unknown substance (2.259 g/mL) does not match the known densities of any of the given options (Silicon, Carbon, Iron, Cadmium). Therefore, none of the given options are the correct identity of the unknown substance.