Science Olympiad Dynamic Planet Practice Test

Which term describes the measurement of mass in a given volume of a substance?

1. Density

2. Viscosity

3. Pressure

4. Concentration

The correct answer is: Density

The term that describes the measurement of mass in a given volume of a substance is density. Density is defined as the mass of an object divided by its volume and is typically expressed in units like grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) or kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³). It essentially indicates how compact a substance is; the higher the density, the more mass is contained within a specific volume. Viscosity refers to a fluid's resistance to flow, which is a completely different property. Pressure is the force exerted per unit area, related to how forces act in fluids but not specifically about mass and volume. Concentration generally describes the amount of a substance in a specific volume of solution, which can reflect aspects of density in certain contexts but is not precisely the same as density itself, as it often pertains to mixtures rather than the pure substance's property of mass-to-volume ratio.