The soil bulk density (Ds) represents an important physical property of this porous media, which several times is used as soil quality index. There are different methods of Ds evaluation: volumetric ring (MVR), paraffin sealed (MPS) and gamma-ray attenuation. In experimental Physics classes, in the Hydrostatic and Hydrodynamics subjects, measurements of particle densities of solid materials, for which the density values are known, are usually carried out. Due to the difficulties to perform analyses of soil in Experimental Physics laboratories, most of the time undergraduate students make measurements of Ds only in specific courses throughout their graduation. A piece of equipment usually employed in measurements of density in Experimental Physics laboratories is the Jolly balance (MJB). In this study the Jolly balance was used in soil aggregate density (DAgg) measurements. Paraffin aggregate samples with different volumes were employed. The results obtained showed good agreement of DAgg values by using the MVR and MJB. Thus, the idea of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the use of the Jolly balance in DAgg measurements and its applicability to study important concepts related to the soil structure in Experimental Physics classes.
Keywords:
Hookes' law; Archimedes' principle; soil structure
