2 "dr. dave p.": y is salt less effective 2 make the egg float if i used less of it?

Question

...this question is intended for someone in specific, but feel free to answer!! iheartanswers. =) && i am s-o-o confused.

Answer 1

Are you trying to float an egg in ordinary (cold) water?

The buoyancy on the egg (or any immersed body) is equal to the weight of the liquid that is displaced by the volume of the egg. Therefore, the weight of an object in water is its weight outside the water, minus the weight of the water that occupies the same volume.

If the object weighs less than the equal volume of water, then it will float.

fresh water density is 1 (1 g per cubic centimetre). If you add salt to the water, it will dissolve: the ions (mostly ionized sodium and chlorine atoms) will insert themselves between the water molecules without increasing the distance between the water molecules. In this manner, the weight of a cubic centimetre of salted water will weigh more than 1 g.

The volume of the egg does not change, therefore the immersed egg is now displacing a larger weight of water (because the water is salty). The buoyancy is higher than with fresh water, so the egg will float easier.

The more salt you use, the higher the density of the water, the better the egg will float.

However, there is a point where there is no more room between the water molecules and any added salt will simply fall to the bottom without dissolving.