Question

Will the density be less or more than its actual value, if a student is negligent about releasing the bubbles trapped within the pellets in the graduated cylinder?

Answer 1

An air bubble in the solution would effectively increase the volume that you measure for the solid because you would coutn the volume of the bubble as the volume of the solid

So if you measure the density of a solid by putting a weighed amount of the solid in a liquid in which the solid is insoluble, then an air bubble in the solution would make the measured volume of the solid larger than it really is.

Density = mass / volume.

Assuming you find the mass correctly, if the measured volume is larger than the real volume, the denominator in the fraction (mass/volume) will be too big. If a denominator is too big, than the fraction is smaller.