A Survey on the Understanding of the Density Concept in the Lower Secondary School Students

Abstract

The density concept is very difficult for the students to be understood fully, because it is the abstracted concept from two concepts of volume and weight of the various materials. Nevertheless, the density concept is much basic and important for the formation of the material concept is much basic and important for the formation of the material concept in the students. The author surveyed the degree of the understanding of the density concept in the students of the lower secondary schools of the questionnaires. The findings of the survey are as follows. There are many students in the lower secondary schools who can not discriminate between the concepts of weight and volume. 2. The weight of the gaseous substances is very hard to be recognized by the students. 3. All students who can calculate the density problems presented by using the formulae of the den sity have not necessarily understood the density concept. 4. As far as concerned the understanding of the density concept, there are no difference between males and females. 5. It is infered that only 20~30 percents of the students of each grade (7th to 9th grade) have acquired certainly the density concept.