Meteorite !!!!

[Tired Old Man]

I need a math wizard. This is what I have. A rock....lol
The rock weighs 38.4 grams. I put some water into a cup. The height of the water without the rock is 48.69 mm. With the rock it is 52.93 mm.
If I understand this I need to convert mm to ml. This is what I'm trying to do.



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Density
Unusual density is one of meteorites' more characteristic features. It's not enough to say your rock is heavy. Density is how heavy a rock is for its size or compared with other rocks. Iron meteorites are 3.5 times as heavy as ordinary Earth rocks of the same size, while stony meteorites are about 1.5 times as heavy. Lumps or fragments of man-made materials, ore rocks, slag (the byproduct of industrial processes) and the iron oxides magnetite and hematite, are also common all throughout the world and are frequently dense and metallic. So this test is helpful but not definitive.

To measure the density of your rock, you need to measure its weight and its volume. The weight is easy: weigh the rock on a balance or scale (either in grams or in ounces; 1 oz = 28 g). For the volume, get a household liquid measuring cup that is bigger than your rock and fill it halfway with water. Put the rock in and measure how high the water comes now. Subtract the first number from the second number to get the rock's volume. If your rock is too big to put in a measuring cup, then measure it with a ruler (make sure your measurement is in centimeters; 1 in = 2.54 cm). Measure the longest side and the shortest side, then one more length perpendicular to both sides. Calculate a rough volume by multiplying all three lengths together. When you multiply the three lengths together, you will get your answer in cm*cm*cm, or cm3. 1 cm3 = 1 milliliter = 1 mL.

The density is the weight divided by the volume. Compare your rock's density to Earth rocks:

Rock Type Density in grams / milliliter (mL) Density in ounces / cup
Granite 2.8 23
Sandstone 2.6 21
Basalt or lava rock 3.1 26
Hematite 5.1 42
Stony meteorite 3.5 29
Iron meteorite 8.0 66



As you might have guessed I'm trying to see if a rock could be a meteor.
Any HELP ?

[Mezurashi]

fluid volume calculations of this type also need the dimensions of the holding unit, cup, beaker, whatever, in order to determine the cubic volume displacement from the increase in fluid level.

try a 'calibrated' beaker, the straight sided kind with a wide mouth. that should have all kinds of measurement scales printed on the sides. those kind also have had their cubic stuff all figured out so the measurements on the side should be taken as roughly accurate.

so if you fill the beaker to the 250 ml level and drop the rock in and the level reads 350 ml you'll have your volume measurement.

other than that I can't offer any math help - that's more CT's speciality ...

[TC]

I have a good collection of both Iron and Stone, ( document finds) mostly from ( Brazil) and Canyon Diablo ( Arizona), and several from Libya. ( Stone, Chondrules / Fusion, chondrules are composed primarily of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxenest.

Stone meteorites usually run about 3 to 4 times the weight of normal earth rock. As for features, the "flow lines and thumb marks that reveal the burn through the atmosphere are usually the "tell".

But.... erosion can remove these. So your weight factor is all you have to go by. ( and composition)


Hope you got a piece of space..!!

[Tired Old Man]

Thanks Mez...
Way to much math for me to figure out......lol

Hey SR I think my rock might be a Chondrite. I'm lucky I found it. The only metal on it is on a flat side of the rock.
It seems to be a very thin layer. I also found a quarter under the rock so the rock didn't fall where it was found.
This is kind of cool to think about. I'll have to check at USF and see if someone there call tell me anything about it.

[Nu Kua]

Tom, let's move this to Science! I too hope you've got a space rock. :bounce:

[James Random]

Well without the cup dimensions:

48.69(cubic)mm = 0.04869(cubic)ml
52.93(cubic)mm = 0.05293(cubic)ml

remember that one cubic millimeter equals 1/1,000,000 liters

[bluenose_ian]

Thanks Mez...
Way to much math for me to figure out......lol

Hey SR I think my rock might be a Chondrite. I'm lucky I found it. The only metal on it is on a flat side of the rock.
It seems to be a very thin layer. I also found a quarter under the rock so the rock didn't fall where it was found.
This is kind of cool to think about. I'll have to check at USF and see if someone there call tell me anything about it.

Nice find mate if you have a real one.

Can I ask where you found it? there might be more as rocky types tend to break up into smaller pieces upon entry depending on what type of Chrondite it is.

Give us an update and let us know the outcome please?

[James Random]

Boil it! Just to make sure there's no alien parasite that might take over your mind and mutate your body! :D

[Tired Old Man]

I figured the density out.....I hope. On the scale it would be in the category of a stony meteor. Very little metal on this rock, a thin layer on just one side.
Ian I don't think it landed where I found it. It was probably in fill dirt brought in to raise the ground level. I have another one I found in Tampa Bay but it appears to be hematite.
I'll send it off to be tested later on just so I can say 100 % I found a space rock....lol

Nu Kua I'm not sure if this belongs in Science but I have no problem if you move it. And Thanks, I too hope it is a Space rock : )

[equestrian]

The upper atmosphere carries a large quantity of iron oxides (and perhaps other metals and oxides) held in suspension (somehow) from past meteors. If this rock is a meteorite and the little metal is on just one side, I'd keep open the idea that the metal was deposited on entry

just a thought

james
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