science question?

Question

what is the effect of shape on the density of the same material?

Answer 1

According to the normal laws of gravity the most efficient and most dense shape is a sphere. Any other shape will not be have the same density, but will spread it out across the shape. Planets and stars become spheres because they try to reach the most efficient shape possible.

In the case of a rectangle the corners of the rectangle will have more stress on them because of the increased concentration of material at the corners thus creating a potential weakness. This is why propane tanks, which store the gas under pressure, are not square; that would create a point of possible failure at each corner which could create a disaster. In fact if you look at most liquid containers you will only find corners in milk cartons and some orange cartons. Since cola is not kept in a container with corners it is possible to create a weaker container, but of course this makes stacking it more difficult.

The same material will always have the same density, but how you spread that density out will vary with the container it is in.

Answer 2

None - the SAME material ALWAYS has the SAME density