Final answer:
The density of the object is calculated using Archimedes' principle. By finding the weight of water it displaces when submerged, we determine the object's volume. The object's density is then found to be 1698.2 kg/m³.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the density of the object, we'll use Archimedes' principle which states that the buoyant force on a submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.
The apparent weight loss of the object when submerged is the weight of the water displaced.
Firstly, we find the weight of the water displaced by the object: 12.42 N - 5.10 N = 7.32 N.
Since weight is the product of mass and gravity (W = m*g), we can find the mass of water displaced by dividing the weight of the water displaced by the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²): mass of water displaced = 7.32 N / 9.81 m/s² = 0.746 kg.
Using the density of water (1000.0 kg/m³), we find the volume of water displaced, which is also the volume of the object: volume of the object = mass of water displaced / density of water = 0.746 kg / 1000.0 kg/m³ = 0.000746 m³.
To get the density of the object, we divide its weight in air by the volume we just calculated: density of the object = weight in air / (volume of the object * g) = 12.42 N / (0.000746 m³ * 9.81 m/s²) = 1698.2 kg/m³.
Therefore, the density of the object is 1698.2 kg/m³.