Annie Wallace

Block 4
Max Goldfarb
Exploring the Change in Density of Different Masses of Water in Solid,
Liquid, or Gas States
Introduction
Water can be found in three different states: solid, liquid, or gas.
The state that water is in directly relates to the density of the water.
Density is the measure of mass per unit of volume and varies in each
state of water. This occurs because of the composition of the water
molecules and the amount of kinetic energy within the water. Water
forms countless hydrogen bonds, which is what gives the water its
composition. When energy it taken from or added to water, the
hydrogen bonds react differently, either breaking apart or remaining
together, which leads to a varying in the density of the water. To find
the density of a substance, the formula density=mass x volume is
applied. By using a scale to find the mass of the liquid and a beaker
with milliliter measurements, the density can be calculated.
The purpose of this lab is to investigate how the density of water
increases as heat is added or taken away from it. Furthermore, it can
display how waters different densities play a role in the environment.

Problem: How does the density of water change as the

temperature of the water increases or decreases?
Hypothesis: If the temperature of water is decreased or
increased from its temperature in the liquid state, then the
waters density will decrease.
Materials:
o 2 200 mL beakers
o 2 100 mL beakers
o 2 flasks, large enough to fit 200 mL of liquid
o Scale
o Hot plate
o 2 rubber balloons
o 300 mL ice
Procedure:
o Trial 1:
1. Before beginning, find the mass of all beakers used.
Record for later use.
a. To find the density of liquid water:

i.

Fill a beaker with 200mL of room temperature

water.
ii.
Weigh the beaker of water on scale
iii.
Subtract the weight of the beaker from the
total weight to get the mass.
iv.
Use the formula: d=m/v to find the density of
the liquid.
b. To find the density of solid ice:
v. Fill a beaker with 200 mL of ice.
vi.
Weigh the beaker of ice on a scale.
vii.
Subtract the weigh of the beaker (previously
recorded) from the total weight to get the
mass.
viii.
Use the formula: d=m/v to find the density of
the solid.
c. To find the density of gas (water vapor):
ix.
Fill a flask with 200 mL of water.
x.
Find the mass of the balloon, record it, and
stretch the balloon over the opening of the
flask, ensuring it is sealed so that nothing can
escape from the brim.
xi.
Place the flask on a hot plate, and watch as
the water begins to boil, filling the balloon
with water vapor.
xii.
Once all of the water is evaporated, remove
flask from hot plate and take balloon off of
flask.
xiii.
Tie the balloon, ensuring that no gas escapes
from the balloon.
xiv.
Weigh the full balloon on a scale and subtract
the weight of the balloon from the total
weight to find the mass.
xv. Use the formula: d=m/v to find the density of
the gas.
o Trial 2:
1. Follow the same procedure as Trial 1, but using 100 mL
of water or ice for each experiment.

Data
Trial 1:
Liquid
Solid
Gas
Trial 2:

Volume of
Water
200 mL
200 mL
200 mL
--

Mass of
Water
185.06 g
95.99 g
158.3 g
--

Density of
Water
.9253 g/mL
.4799 g/mL
.7915 g/mL
--

Liquid
Solid
Gas

100 mL
100 mL
100 mL

92.99 g
68.29 g
82.99 g

.9299 g/mL
.6829 g/mL
.8299 g/mL

Comparing Densities of Water as Solid, Liquid, and Gas

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6Solid
grams/mL 0.5
0.4

Liquid

Gas

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

Trial 1 (200 mL)

Trial 2 (100 mL)

Sources of Error
o Although the general results of this lab were accurate,
there were a few factors that could have been utilized
more accurately. First, we should have tested the density of
the gas first to ensure that we would have enough time to
completely boil the water, because in the end we ran very
low on time. Additionally, although we used balloons to
capture the water vapor, we could have used a more
efficient way to test the density of the vapor. There were
risks of the balloon popping or of gas escaping from it,
which would take away from the accuracy of the
measurements. Lastly, when measuring the density of the
ice (solid) instead of using cubes of ice, freezing 200 mL of
water in a beaker would have been more precise. Because
we used cubes of ice, they did not fit perfectly into the
beaker, meaning it was not certain if we measured exactly
200 mL of the solid. However, if we froze exactly 200 mL of
water, the results would have been more exact.

Observations
o When testing the density of water as a gas, I observed that
the 100 mL of water boiled faster than the 200 mL of

water. However, once boiled, the beaker with 200 mL of

water filled the balloon with vapor more rapidly than the
beaker with 100 mL of water did.
o The experiment contained both independent and
dependent variables. The independent variable when
measuring the density of a gas was the heat, while the
dependent variable was the water. This is because the
temperature of the hot plate influenced how fast the water
would evaporate. Additionally, each test had and
dependent variable that was the mass of the water, and an
independent variable that was the state of the water. This
is because the mass of the liquid, depending on its state,
will never change. However, its density determines the
state of the water.

Analysis
o The graph displays that the state of the water influences
its density. Also, there is no uniform pattern to what the
density of the water is when temperature increases or
decreases. However, it does appear that water has the
highest density in its liquid state, and decreases both when
its temperature is increased and decreased. It also appears
that water has its lowest density in the solid form.
Conclusion
o If the temperature of water is decreased or increased from
its temperature in the liquid state, then the waters density
will decrease. The experiment succeeded in displaying this
property of water. Water in its liquid state has a density of
1 g/mL, which is the highest density it can possess. This is
the case because in liquid water, kinetic energy causes
hydrogen molecules to constantly move, which makes
bonds constantly form and break apart. This causes the
liquid to have a high density because all of the hydrogen
molecules are continuously moving around and are all in
very close proximity to one another. By observing the
graph, this statement is clear. As heat is added and the
temperature of the water is raised, the kinetic energy of
the water molecules is increased. This causes the hydrogen
bonds to completely break apart as the liquid evaporates
into a gas. While boiling the water during the experiment,
once the water increased in temperature, it transformed
into gas very rapidly, which showed how quickly the
hydrogen molecules were moving around. The density of
the gas was decreased in comparison to the liquid because
the molecules are moving around so rapidly that they are

very spread apart. On the other hand, when the

temperature of liquid water was decreased and the water
began to freeze, the density was also decreased. Kinetic
energy was very low when the water began to cool, which
means the hydrogen bonds were unable to break apart.
The hydrogen molecules began to move very slowly, and
as the water began to solidify, the hydrogen molecules
froze in place in a uniform and spread out pattern. Because
the molecules were stuck in a dispersed pattern, the solid
water was less dense than liquid water. This is a special
property of water and allows ice to float on liquid water.
This experiment brings about other topics that could leave
to further research, such as why molecules of other
substances move closer together as the temperature
drops. Additionally, ecologists could observe the roles of
water as a solid, liquid and gas in the environment and how
they are cycled throughout. This displays that the
hypothesis about water was correct. As the temperature of
water increased and kinetic energy was added, the density
of the water decreased. Additionally, as the temperature of
water decreased and kinetic energy was limited, the
waters density was also lowered. Water as a liquid obtains
the highest density in relation to its three states.
Sources
o Urry, L., & Cain, M. (2014). Hydrogen Bonding Gives Water
Properties That Help Make Life Possible on Earth. In
Campbell Biology in Focus AP Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson.