Question

A 0.48-kg piece of wood floats in water but is found to sink in alcohol (sg=0.79), in which it has an apparent mass of 0.036 kg. What is the specific gravity of the wood?

1) 0.075
2) 0.079
3) 0.083
4) 0.087

Answer 1

The specific gravity of the wood is 0.0185, which does not match any of the options given.

Step-by-step explanation:

The specific gravity of an object is the ratio of its density to the density of a reference substance, usually water. If an object floats, its specific gravity is less than one, and if it sinks, its specific gravity is greater than one.

To find the specific gravity of the wood, we need to compare its apparent mass in alcohol to its true mass in water. The apparent mass of the wood in alcohol is 0.036 kg, and its true mass in water can be calculated using its volume and the density of water.

Given that the density of water is 0.65 g/mL and the volume of the wood is 3.0 mL, the true mass of the wood in water is 0.65 g/mL x 3.0 mL = 1.95 g.

Therefore, the specific gravity of the wood is the ratio of its apparent mass in alcohol to its true mass in water: 0.036 kg / 1.95 g = 0.0185.

To convert the specific gravity to the form given in the options, multiply the calculated value by 10: 0.0185 x 10 = 0.185. None of the options provided match this value, so none of them are correct.