If a volleyball is heated, what happens to its density?

• A. Its density increases.
• B. Its density first increases, then decreases.
• C. Its density remains unchanged.
• D. Its density decreases.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the definition of density, which is given by the formula \(\text{density} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{volume}}\).
2. Understand that when a volleyball is heated, its mass remains essentially constant because no material is added or removed.
3. Recognize that heating generally causes materials to expand, so the volume of the volleyball increases as temperature rises.
4. Since the mass stays the same but the volume increases, the density, which is mass divided by volume, will decrease.
5. Therefore, heating the volleyball causes its density to decrease because the increase in volume outweighs any change in mass.