Question

If you divide the mass of a substance by its volume, can you find its density?

Answer 1

Not if its non-uniform.

Answer 2

If the body is not homogeneous, then the density is a function of the position. In that case the density around any given location is determined by calculating the density of a small volume around that location. Else for homogeneous bodies density is mass per unit volume.

Answer 3

of course p=m/V

Answer 4

Density has only one definition:\[\rho = \frac{mass}{volume}\]Homogenous or non-homogenous doesn't factor into the calculation of density. However, in a non-homogenous substance the density of smaller volumes of the substance can vary as compared to the density of the entire volume of the substance.

Answer 5

Maybe an example would help. The density of the Earth is ~5.52 gm/cm^3. However, the density of water (a smaller portion of the Earth) is only 1 gm/cm^3.

Answer 6

Well, but something with non-uniform density cannot have one density as such. Only an average density. So only AVERAGE density can be found by m/v.

Answer 7

Yes, it would definitely be the average density.

If you think about it...anything, no matter how small, can be divided (theoretically) into smaller pieces. Therefore, density is always an average :)