Weight, Mass, Volume, Density

Lyrics

Chorus
Let’s discuss the difference between weight and mass
People confuse it everyday in every way and let it pass

Weight is the measurement of force of gravity on a matter
And mass is the quantity of matter on the platter

It’s easy: volume is space I’m taking, getting fatter
density is the ratio of mass to the volume in the place
And this data is all you need to know
So let me break it down really quickly before I go

Verse I
When you’re holding a bowling ball before you bowl it
You know that there’s a force on your hand, you can’t control it

It’s gravity pulling down on the mass of the ball
And that force is called weight, what we’re mastering y’all

But just wait: wait just a minute, man
The ball doesn’t weigh 3 kilograms
That’s the mass of the ball, just so understand
The weight is the gravitational constant known as G
Multiplied by the mass of the earth
Multiplied by the mass the ball, which is 3
Divided by the radius between the center of the earth
And center of the ball squared

If you’re asking, mass is a unit. It’s a quantity of matter
Weight is a force that occurs when gravity happens to be present
On the earth or the moon, measured with a balance,
The mass is the same, cousin

Chorus

Verse II
volume is the space occupied by a body
Abide by the laws of physics just to record it
When you look at it, it’s easy to see
The volume of a cube is the length of any side to the power of three

When you wanna measure the volume of a sphere, dude
It’s 4∕3πr³

You can be a beginner and still figure out
The volume of a cylinder with these steps here:
The height times π times the radius squared

So extensively, we move on to density
A measurement of mass over volume
For example: the density of water is 1 g/cm³
So you understand
It’s all a part of the plan to get the knowledge
From my rhyme to your mind to your hand

Measure the volume of a can in simplicity
With weight, mass, volume, and density

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Description

“Weight, Mass, Volume, Density” helps students learn the difference between mass and weight by comparing the two and describing the relationship between them using examples. The rap song also helps students learn the difference between volume and density by learning the simple formula for calculating density of an object, which is the mass per unit volume, or mass divided by volume. The song is useful for lessons conversions between these measurements and learning more about pressure. The teaching materials at the bottom of the page, including worksheets and lesson plans, help scientists, teachers, and homeschool parents generate teaching ideas for the song topics in physics, math, geometry, and more. Students will become more effective at working with measurement units.

This science song is suitable for teaching weight, mass, volume, and density to advanced elementary school students (5th grade and 6th grade), middle school, high school, home school, and college classes.

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Related Reading and Activities

Reading

UCLA.edu
Weight, Density,Mass,Volume
Although this site is quite dense for a young student, the information is excellent and clearly expressed and great as a teacher source. The experiment and activity at the end is an excellent way to give a visual understanding of weight, density, matter and volume. Excellent site for the middle school science buff!
Grades 6-8

Densities of common substances
This site has a chart of densities of common substances as well as links to tables and charts of other data.
Grades 6-8

Edinformatics.com
Density, Weight, Mass
This site, the Math and Science Activity Center, has information and activities geared for the middle school student. Excellent and easy to navigate.
Grades 5-8

ABCTeach
Units of Measurement
This website has conversion charts for mass and volume, in addition to others.
Grades 4-8

Volume and Area
This website has diagrams of various shapes with the equations for finding their volumes. Excellent chart that should be in every classroom.
Grades 3-8

Lesson Plans & Activities

Discovery Education
Gravity Gets You Down
This classroom activity teaches students how gravity works in relation to mass, weight and density. Activities for both younger and older students
Grades 3-4 5-8

The Educator’s Reference Desk
Does Air Have Mass and Density?
Using a basketball, students conduct an experiment to determine if air has mass, and therefore, density. It will help them to better understand both concepts.
Grades 5-8

Middle School Dense
Density Demonstration: Coke vs. Diet Coke
By comparing the amount of sugar in Coke vs. Diet Coke, students gain a better understanding of what density is and how it can be measured. This is a fun and informative experiement.
Grades 3-8

Middle School Science
Making Cents Lab
Students get to practice recording the mass of pennies in this activity. Must have pennies from specific years to make this work.
Grades 3-8

Metric System and Matter
This crossword puzzle features terms about matter and the Metric System. Brief but useful.
Grades 5-8

Properties of Matter
This worksheet covers the main concepts of matter in an easy-to-study format.
Grades 4-8

Volume Lab
This lab teaches students how to measure the volume and regular and irregular objects.
Grades 3-8

Volume of Irregular Objects
This activity teaches students how to use water displacement to measure the volume of irregular objects.
Grades 3-8

Science Learning Network
Liquid Layers
By layering different types of liquids, students learn more about density. Great for younger students.
Grades 3-8

Teach-nology.com
Deducing Density
This experiment will give students a more complete view of what density is and how to measure it.
Grades 5-8

Kinetic City
Gravity Launch
This site is a great one for science buffs. It is a great game to illustrate the force of gravity in space and outer space. A terrific game for older students.
Grades 6-12

Media

YouTube
Eureka! Episode 25 (video)
This is cartoon explains that volume refers to the amount of space an object envelops and that density refers to the amount of mass that is compacted in a given volume. Good for elementary and lower middle school grades.
Grades 3-6

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State Standards

State standards listed here are representative of school standards across the United States.

California

7th Grade
88a - Students know density is mass per unit volume.

8th Grade
9f8 - Apply simple mathematic relationships to determine a missing quantity in a mathematic expression, given the two remaining terms (including speed = distance/time, density = mass/volume, force = pressure × area, volume = area × height).

Illinois

3rd Grade
12.D.1b - Identify observable forces in nature (e.g., pushes, pulls, gravity, magnetism).

7th-8th Grades
12.D.3b - Explain the factors that affect the gravitational forces on objects (e.g., changes in mass, distance).

Massachusetts

6th-8th Grades
2. Physical - Differentiate between volume and mass. Define density.
1. Physical - Differentiate between weight and mass, recognizing that weight is amount of gravitational pull on an object.

New York

5th -8th Grades
3.1h - Density can be described as amount of matter that is in given amount of space. If two objects have equal volume, but one has more mass, one with more mass is denser.

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