Density

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

in physics, the amount of mater in a body, compared with its size. Judging by the heft, a piece of iron contains seven or eight times as much as a piece of ice of the same size, while cork is about one-fourth as heavy as ice. Water is taken as the standard. A pound of cork and a pound of water weigh the same, and contain the same amount of matter; but a cubic inch of cork contains only about one-fourth as much matter as a cubic inch of water. Scientists have agreed to use a cubic centimeter as the unit of volume and the amount of matter in a cubic centimeter of water as the unit of matter. Under standard conditions a cubic centimeter of water weighs 1 gram, a cubic centimeter of cork weighs .24 grams, and a cubic centimeter of cast iron weighs 7 grams. We say that the density of water is 1; of cork, .24; of iron, 7. By weighing with care, we may build up A TABLE OF DENSITIES. Agate 2.615 Alcohol, absolute 0.806 Alcohol, common 0.833 Aluminum 2.670 Antimony, cast 6.720 Ash, dry 0.690 Asphalt 2.500 Beeswax 0.964 Bell metal 8.050 Benzine 0.72 to 0.740 Bismuth, cast 9.822 Boxwood 1.280 Brass, cast 8.400 Brass, sheet 8.440 Brick 1.6 to 2.000 Cedar, American 0.554 Chalk 1.8 to 2.800 Cherry 0.710 Coal, anthracite 1.26 to 1.800 Coal, bituminous 1.270 to 1.423 Copper, cast 8.830 Copper, sheet 8.878 Cork 0.240 Diamond 3.530 Ebony 1.187 Emery 3.900 Ether 0.736 Fir, spruce 0.512 Fluor-spar 3.200 Galena 7.580 German-silver 8.432 Glass, crown 2.520 Glass, flint 3.000 to 3.600 Glass, plate 2.760 Glycerine 1.260 Gold 19.360 Granite 2.650 Graphite 2.500 Gun-metal 8.561 Gypsum, crys 2.310 Hydrochloric acid, aq. sol 1.222 Ice 0.917 Iron, bar 7.788 Iron, cast 7.230 Iron, wrought 7.780 Iron pyrites 5.000 Ivory 1.820 Lead, cast 11.360 Lead, sheet 11.400 Lignum vitae 1.333 Limestone 3.180 Mahogany 0.56 to 0.852 Maple 0.755 Marble 2.720 Mercury 13.596 Nitric acid 1.38 to 1.559 Oak, American red 0.850 Oak, American white 0.779 Oil, turpentine 0.870 Paraffine 0.824 to 0.940 Petroleum 0.836 Phosphorus 1.830 Pine, white, dry 0.554 Platinum wire 21.531 Porcelain, china 2.380 Quartz 2.650 Silver, cast 10.424 to 10.511 Steel, unhammered 7.816 Sulphur, native 2.033 Sulphuric acid 1.840 Tin, cast 7.290 Walnut 0.680 Water, sea 1.027 Zinc, cast 7.000