Final answer:
The density of a piece of jewelry is calculated as the mass divided by the volume. In the given problem, you subtract the initial water volume in the cylinder from the volume after the jewelry is submerged, and then divide the mass of the jewelry by this volume difference to find its density.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the density of a piece of jewelry, the most direct method is to use the mass and volume of the object. The correct formula for calculating density is mass divided by volume. Given the provided problem where a large piece of jewelry has a mass of 132.6 g and causes the water level in a graduated cylinder to rise from 48.6 mL to 61.2 mL, we can calculate the volume of the jewelry by the difference in water level after submersion, which is 61.2 mL - 48.6 mL = 12.6 mL.
Therefore, the density of the jewelry is given by the formula: density = mass / volume. Plugging in the values gives us a density of 132.6 g / 12.6 mL, which yields a value that can then be compared to known densities to hypothesize what the jewelry might be made of.