Density Column Lab

Density Column

What is density?

We will be working with many different liquids. Each of the liquids has a different, characteristic density. One way to think about density is how thick or heavy an object is. The liquids with lighter densities will float. The liquids with heavier densities will drop to the bottom. You may have noticed that sometimes, liquids mix together – this is because the chemicals dissolve in each other. During our experiment, the liquids will stay separate because we will add the liquids in order of decreasing density! As long as the materials do not mix or react, the less dense materials will float on top of the more dense ones. This lab will create colorful, layered rows.

Density can be calculated! Density values are often used in scientific calculations!

Density
=
Mass

Volume

Mass is related to weight, or how heavy something is, and Volume is how much space the liquid takes up. Density is simply the mass of a substance divided by its volume!

Procedure

We will use 5 different liquids:

A. Vegetable oil
B. Dishwashing liquid
C. Honey
D. Water
E. Rubbing alcohol

Since all of the liquids are in containers of equal volume, you can put the liquids in order of increasing density by their weight. Pick up each container; which one feels the heaviest? The lightest? Place the cups in order from heaviest to lightest. This is your hypothesis of decreasing density of the liquids. Fill in the chart on the next page.

Liquid Letter
Liquid Name
Liquid Weight
Liquid Density

Heaviest
Most dense
DO NOT pour along the sides!

…
Pour along sides of the cylinder

…
Pour along sides of the cylinder

…
Pour along sides of the cylinder

…
Pour along sides of the cylinder

Lightest
Least dense

Now you are ready to add your liquids to the graduated cylinder! Add them according to the order in your chart. Pour the most dense first, avoiding the sides of the graduated cylinder. The remaining liquids are to be poured along the sides to avoid mixing.

You should have a colorful band of liquids!

When you are completely finished, here are the calculated densities of the materials used:

Are the liquids in your graduated cylinder in this order?

Densities: (from top to bottom; units = g/mL)

1. Alcohol – 0.79
2. Vegetable oil – 0.9
3. Water – 1.0
4. Dishwashing liquid – 1.03
5. Honey – 1.37