Pearson Physical Science

The terms mass and weight are often used interchangeably.  When you purchase produce from the grocery store, you place your items on a spring scale.  What physical property of matter is being measured?

• Mass
• Weight
• Mass and Weight
• The amount of material in an object

Weight is proportional to but not equal to mass. In which of the following situations would a person show an increase in weight but not an increase in mass?

• Climbing to the top of a mountain
• Traveling underwater in a submarine.
• Landing on a planet with more gravity.
• Living on the international space station.

A jeweler has two blocks of gold. The first block has a mass of 60 grams (g) and a volume of 3 cubic centimeters (cm3). The second block has half the mass and half the volume of the first block. What is the density of the smaller block of gold, in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)?

• 5 g/cm3 
• 10 g/cm3 
• 20 g/cm3 
• 80 g/cm3 

Kendall has 4 beakers, each containing 10 milliliters (mL) of a different liquid. He finds the mass, in grams (g), of each liquid and records it in his notebook. His data are shown in the table. Kendall wants to know what will happen when the liquids are all combined. He pours them all into a 50-mL beaker, and after a few minutes, the liquids separate into different layers. Which liquid would make up the bottom layer of the beaker?

• Vegetable oil, because it has the least amount of mass
• .  Karo syrup, because it has the greatest density.
• .  Water, because it sinks into all substances.
• Milk, because it contains fat.

Kari likes to play marbles, and she wants to find out if the density of a marble has any effect on how far the marble rolls. To begin, she selects ten different marbles of various sizes from her collection. She measures the first marble on a balance and finds that its mass is 13.8 grams (g). Then she takes a 100-milliliter (mL) graduated cylinder and fills it to the 50-mL mark. After she places the marble in the graduated cylinder, the water level reads 56 mL. What is the density of this marble, in grams per milliliter (g/mL)?

• 0. 25 g/mL 
• 0. 43 g/mL 
• 2. 3    g/mL 
•  4. 1    g/mL 

Tim is helping his mom make a dessert. Tim measures out one gram of peanuts and one gram of marshmallows. Which of these will need the largest container?

• They will need the same size container because there is one gram of each.
• The peanuts will need a larger container because they are irregularly shaped.
• The peanuts will need a larger container because a peanut is heavier than a marshmallow.
• The marshmallows will need a larger container because they are less dense.

Jan noticed that when she put a tomato in water, it sank. When she put an apple in water, it floated. Why did the tomato sink while the apple floated?

• The apple has more surface area than the tomato, which allowed the apple to float.
• The apple is denser than the water, and the tomato is less dense than the water.
• The tomato is denser than the water, and the apple is less dense than the water.
• The apple and the tomato have the same density, but the tomato skin absorbed water, making it sink.

Matthew has six cubes of different materials. Each cube has a mass of 10 grams (g). Matthew sorts the cubes into two groups using one physical property. Which physical property did Matthew most likely use to sort the cubes into two groups?

• density 
• magnetism
• melting point 
• electrical conductivity

Physical properties can be used to classify and compare substances.  The illustration below shows a physical property that is being investigated using different materials. What physical property is most likely being investigated in this illustration?

• magnetism
• melting point
• electrical conductivity
• thermal conductivity

The state of matter is an example of a physical property. Why is the state of matter considered a physical property, even though a substance may change between a solid, liquid, and gas? 

• The property can be easily observed.
• The chemical nature of the substance does not change.
• The state of matter depends on the amount of substance present.
• Solids, liquids, and gases contain different substances from one another.