The story goes that Archimedes figured out the best way of determining whether a crown was made of pure gold.
Method:
Weigh the object. From this the mass is calculated – mass = weight/gravity.
Immerse the object in water. Note the volume of water before the object, then note the volume of water after the object is immersed – this difference is the same as the volume of the object.
Now solve for the density. density = mass/volume.
Then compare to the density of gold found in text books.
