Density and Volume for Middle-School Dummies

Density, mass, volume

A lot of the staffers here at the Antisocial Network have solid grounding in science and mathematics, at least enough to recognize bull when someone with a weak background tries to push it. The drones at eHow.com had quite a racket for a while, harvesting simple questions asked by teens researching homework, and providing an answer. The problem? The answer wasn't necessarily very good... like the version of "How to Calculate Volume Using Density" by David Chandler, which we found lurking at Sciencing.com.

Hey, it's simple: density = mass / volume, so all you have to do is restate the equation D = m/v in terms of v. A little reorganization should tell you that v = m / D. Right? Even if you go through all the steps of multiplying both sides by v and then dividing by D, it shouldn't take you more than about thirty or forty words. Throw in an example and an introduction, and you have maybe 100 words. Chandler needed triple that amount to spit out his semi-literate hogwash, including such misinformation as,

• "Density measure [sic] the amount of mass in a given volume of substance or how much material is in a given space." — No, it doesn't. Density is, quite simply, mass per unit volume.
• "...increasing the mass of a sample will increase the volume at a proportional rate..." — No, increasing the volume of a substance increases the mass at a constant rate. Idiot.

Once Chandler had finished showing off his level of scientific illiteracy (he "studied microbiology"? really?), he managed to perform the necessary arithmetic steps and pump out a satisfactory answer. Apparently, though, Chandler was in too big a hurry to include an example; instead jotting down some useless bushwa about the units of measure:

"Ensure the units are kept constant during the calculations. Pay attention to the units of measure to ensure an appropriate result."

We don't even know what the first sentence is supposed to mean: you? You probably don't either, unless you're in line for the next Dumbass of the Day award...

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