A. A metallurgist has just produced a small bead of a new alloy of rare metals....

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A. A metallurgist has just produced a small bead of a new alloy of rare metals. He uses a sensitive balance and finds the mass is 280 g (280 micrograms, 280 10-6 g). By examining the bead with a microscope, he estimates its volume to be 2.1 x 10-5 cm. He reports that the density of his new alloy is 13 grams for every one cubic centimeter. A beginning student asks: "How can you say that the density is 13 grams for every one cubic centimeter when there is only 2.1 x 10-5 cm of the material in the whole world?" How would you explain to the student what the number 13 g/cm tells us about this material and how the number can apply to such a small object? (Note: The word density is not an explanation of meaning, it is just the name of the number.) A. A metallurgist has just produced a small bead of a new alloy of rare metals. He uses a sensitive balance and finds the mass is 280 g (280 micrograms, 280 10-6 g). By examining the bead with a microscope, he estimates its volume to be 2.1 x 10-5 cm. He reports that the density of his new alloy is 13 grams for every one cubic centimeter. A beginning student asks: "How can you say that the density is 13 grams for every one cubic centimeter when there is only 2.1 x 10-5 cm of the material in the whole world?" How would you explain to the student what the number 13 g/cm tells us about this material and how the number can apply to such a small object? (Note: The word density is not an explanation of meaning, it is just the name of the number.)