Question

Your teacher's pet dog brought in two unknown substances. One had a regular shape and one had an irregular shape. Your teacher wanted to identify the substances so they measure the mass and calculated the volume.

What property of matter is the scientist using to identify the substances brought in by the teacher's pet dog?
A) Density
B) Melting point
C) Conductivity
D) Solubility

Answer 1

Density is the property used to identify substances by measuring their mass and calculating their volume, which helps determine the unique density value for each substance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The property of matter the scientist is using to identify the substances brought in by the teacher's pet dog is density. Density is defined as the mass of an object divided by its volume and is an intensive property, meaning it does not depend on the amount of the substance present. This characteristic helps distinguish one substance from another since each substance has its unique density value.

For example, despite having similar sizes, a golf ball and a table tennis ball have different masses and, therefore, different densities. Similarly, measuring the mass and volume of the unknown substances and calculating their density can help in their identification.