In the determination of the density of a rectangular metal bar, a student made the following measurements: length, \(8.53 \mathrm{~cm}\); width, \(2.4 \mathrm{~cm}\); height, \(1.0 \mathrm{~cm}\); mass, 52.7064 g. Calculate the density of the metal to the correct number of significant figures.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The density of the metal is \(2.57 \mathrm{g/cm}^3\)

Step by step solution

01

Calculate the Volume

Start out the process by determining the volume of the rectangular metal bar. This can be calculated using the formula for the volume of a rectangular prism: Volume \(=\) Length \(\times\) Width \(\times\) Height. Substituting the given values, you get: Volume \(=\) \(8.53 \mathrm{cm} \times 2.4 \mathrm{cm} \times 1.0 \mathrm{cm} = 20.472 \mathrm{cm}^3\)
02

Calculate the Density

Next, you calculate the density by dividing the mass by the volume obtained. Density \(=\) Mass/volume. Substituting the given and calculated values, you get: Density \(=\) \(52.7064 \mathrm{g}/20.472 \mathrm{cm}^3 = 2.57 \mathrm{g/cm}^3\)
03

Determine the Significant Figures

The answer should be rounded off to three significant figures since the width has only two significant figures. However, in determining the significant figures for multiplication or division, one should look for the fewest number of significant figures in the given displacement measurements. Hence, the density calculated should be rounded off to three significant figures.

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