Which would produce the greatest change in the water level in a 25mL graduated cylinder?
a)7.42g of Al (d=2.70 g/mL)
b)2.68g of oak (d=0.72g/mL)
The answer is a) but I can't see why...
It is not the total volume that counts for raising the water level, it is the volume below the water line. The oak floats. The volume of the oak is 3.72 ml, but only 2.68 ml is below the water line. All of the Al (2.74 ml) is below the water line.
To determine which substance would produce the greatest change in water level in a 25 mL graduated cylinder, we need to consider the volume of each substance below the water line.
For option a) with 7.42 g of Al (d=2.70 g/mL), we can calculate the volume of Al below the water line using its density.
Volume of Al = Mass of Al / Density of Al = 7.42 g / 2.70 g/mL = 2.74 mL
For option b) with 2.68 g of oak (d=0.72 g/mL), we can calculate the volume of oak below the water line using its density.
Volume of oak = Mass of oak / Density of oak = 2.68 g / 0.72 g/mL = 3.72 mL
Now, comparing the volumes below the water line for both substances, we can see that all of the aluminum (2.74 mL) is below the water line, whereas only 2.68 mL of oak is below the water line.
Therefore, option a) with 7.42 g of Al (d=2.70 g/mL) would produce the greatest change in the water level in the 25 mL graduated cylinder.