Density is a physical characteristic of a material,just like color or shape.
Because the density of a substance is constant,it is often used in chemistry to determine
the composition of an unknown material.Since density is calculated by dividing the mass by
the volume of a liquid,it is not dependent on sample size.
A 10-ml sample should have the density as a 100-ml sample because the difference in mass will
be proportional to the difference in volume.
When attempting to identify substances by their densities,there are many possible sources
of error.Mathematical error,a scale or triple-beam balance that is not properly calibrated,
or a dirty beaker can cause serious discrepancies in the calculation.