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Ch.1 - Chemical Tools: Experimentation & Measurement
Chapter 1, Problem 75

Label the following properties as intensive or extensive: den-sity, volume, mass, electrical conductivity.

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An intensive property is a property that does not depend on the amount of matter present. It is inherent to the material itself. Examples include temperature, pressure, and density.
An extensive property is a property that does depend on the amount of matter present. Examples include mass, volume, and total charge.
Given these definitions, we can classify the properties as follows:
Density is an intensive property because it does not change with the amount of substance. It is a characteristic property of the substance itself.
Volume and mass are extensive properties because they change with the amount of substance. The more substance you have, the greater the volume and mass.
Electrical conductivity is an intensive property because it is a characteristic of the material itself and does not change with the amount of substance.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Intensive Properties

Intensive properties are characteristics of a substance that do not depend on the amount of material present. Examples include density, boiling point, and electrical conductivity. These properties remain constant regardless of the sample size, making them useful for identifying substances.
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Extensive Properties

Extensive properties are characteristics that do depend on the amount of material in a sample. Common examples include mass and volume. As the quantity of the substance increases, these properties also increase, which is important for calculations involving the total amount of material.
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Density

Density is defined as the mass of a substance per unit volume, typically expressed in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) or kilograms per liter (kg/L). It is an intensive property, meaning it remains constant regardless of the sample size. Density is crucial for distinguishing between different materials and understanding their behavior in various contexts.
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