Unit 1: matter Photocopy 1: mass, volume and density

UNIT 1: MATTER
Matter is defined as anything that has mass and occupies a volume. A material system is
a portion of matter used for being the subject of a study.
Mass and volume are general properties of matter because they do not depend on the
substance which compounds a material system.
Mass is related to the quantity of matter an object has. Volume is the space occupied by
an object.

Units of mass: kg hg dag g dg cg mg

Units of volume: kL hL daL L dL cL mL

Units of volume: km3 hm3 dam3 m3 dm3 cm3 mm3

Very important: 1 dm3=1 L 1 cm3=1 mL

In order to change units we usually use conversion factors, as in the following

examples:

600 kgg

9 mLdL

40 m3dm3

1. Use conversion factors to make the following changes of units of mass:

a) 200 ghg b) 55 dgmg c) 400 kghg

d) 0.35 dagg e) 1900 mgg f) 25 kgmg

2. Use conversion factors to make the following changes of units of volume:

a) 51 mLL b) 9310 cLL c) 6 kLcL

d) 11 dLL e) 315 cLhL f) 38900 mLdL

3. Use conversion factors to make the following changes of units of volume:

a) 425 m3dm3 b) 0.0012 dm3mm3 c) 30 mm3dm3

d) 0.00891 dm3dam3 e) 210 cm3mm3 f) 7.47 mm3m3

Unit 1: matter Photocopy 1: mass, volume and density

Other properties define which substance the material is made of. They are called
specific properties of matter.
Density is one specific property of matter, which indicates the mass of substance
contained in a given unit of volume. It is a specific property because it has the same
value for every sample of the same type of matter.
Density=mass/volume

4. Calculate the density of an object whose mass is 10.5 g and that occupies a volume of
5 cm3. Express it in g/cm3 and kg/m3.

5. The density of a substance is 1200 kg/m 3 and its mass is 24 kg. Can you know its
volume? Express it in cm3.

6. The density of a liquid is 800 kg/m 3. What is the mass contained in 0.5 m 3? Express it
in g.

7. Three cubic centimetres of a liquid have a mass of 5 grams. Determine its density in
kg/m3.

8. An object made of nickel occupies a volume of 4 dm 3. Calculate its mass in grams.

(take the density from the table).

Density of common metals

Substance Density

Aluminum 2.70 g/cm3

Brass 8.40 g/cm3

Nickel 8.80 g/cm3

Mercury 13.60 g/cm3

9. Make the following changes of units, using conversion factor and scientific notation:
a) 41 m3 mm3 b) 23 hm cm

c) 230000 dm2 dam2 d) 40000 mL L

10. Calculate the volume, in L, of 500 g of air, 200 kg of gasoline and 30 hg of melted
lead. The density of air is 1.3 kg/m 3, of gasoline is 680 kg/m3 and of lead is 11,340
kg/m3.

11. The density of air is 1.3 kg/m3. Calculate the mass of air contained in a room of 8 m
of length, 6 m wide and 3 m high. (Remember volume=abc)