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This is one way which works only of the rock contains no bits which are water soluble, and the rock is relatively small. Fill a graduated container with water to a height greater than that of the rock, record the measurement of the water meniscus. The gently submerge the rock into the container and then make a not of the new measure of the water level. The difference in the two levels is a measure of the volume of the rock.
If the rock is larger, then you will need two containers, the first container needs to be large enough to hold the rock fully submerged, and the other like a large tray. Place the first container inside the second and fill it so that it is full to the brim. Then very gently lower the rock into the container. Make sure that all the overflow (and nothing more) is caught in the second container (tray). Measure the volume of liquid that has overflowed.
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Can a rocks volume be 250 mL?
Yes. It would be hard to find a rock with that volume, but I'm sure there is one out there.
How can you find the volume of a small rock using only water and either a measuring cup or a graduated cylinder?
Fill the cylinder with water to a marked point. Then place the rock in the water and measure how much the water level rises. That will give you the amount of volume displaced by the rock and so the volume of the rock.
How do I find the volume of a rock?
Irregularly shaped objects have no formula for finding the volume. So, to find the volume of a rock, one method is to measure how much water the rock displaces. You simply need some sort of container that measures the volume of liquids and you need some water. The container should be large enough to put the rock in. First, fill the container to a certain volume, noting what that volume is and making sure that enough water is used to completely cover the rock when you put the rock in the container. Next place the rock into the container and measure the new volume indicated by the water. Subtract this new volume with the old volume, and the answer will be the volume of the rock. Another method is to use the rock's mass and density to calculate the volume. This can be tougher because you might not know what type of rock you have and many rocks are composites of different types of rocks. Some internet websites give the densities of different rocks. The website http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/ES304/MODULES/GRAV/NOTES/densities.html gives some simple densities. But if you have all this information, the volume can be determined by measuring the mass of the rock and dividing that number by the density.
How do you find the volume of a rock?
place the rock in a large container that is fillec to the brim with water, making sure you know how much water you put in. Place a tray underneath (or something similar) and place the rock in. Wait until the water stops moving, then measure the amount of water on the tray. The amount of water in the tray is the volume of the rock. E.g. the water in the tray was 20ml, so the volume of the rock is 20cm3.
How could you find the volume of a small rock using only a graduated cylinder and rock?
Note the level of water in the graduated cylinder. Place the rock into the water carefully. Note the higher level to which the water rises. The difference between the old level and the new level is the volume displaced by the rock.
