A student is determining the density of an unknown metal with a mass of 256.0 g. The student partially fills a graduated cylinder with water and measures the volume of the water by itself as 54.8 mL. The student then adds the metal to the water and measures the new volume as 87.3 mL. What is the density, in g/mL, of the metal?

7.88 g/mL

Explanation:

In order to calculate the density we need the mass and the volume of the metal.

The mass is already given by the problem (256.0 g). As for the volume, we can calculate it using Archimede's principle: The volume of water the metal displaced is equal to the volume of the metal.

Thus the volume of the metal is 32.5 mL.

alchemy hadn't scientific methods of study, appeal to mysticism and fantasy, the knowledge of chemistry and physics were modest at that time.

alchemy was - but as new rules were discovered it either changed into chemistry or it became "unscientific".