why does a really dense liquid sink when a less dense liquid float? is it because a dense liquid is heavier/
2007-09-30 16:10:07 · 4 answers · asked by Sarah S 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yes.
2007-09-30 16:12:32 · answer #1 · answered by Tom K 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not exactly. It's because a denser liquid has more mass per unit of volume that a less dense liquid. In fact, density is -defined- in terms of grams per cubic meter (g/cu m) and the law of bouyancy says that the bouyant force exerted on a mass is equal to the mass of the liguid it displaces. So..... If the bouyant force is less than the mass of the object, the object sinks. And the mass of a less dense liguid is guaranteed to be less than the mass of a denser fluid by definition.
Doug
2007-09-30 23:18:05 · answer #2 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, density is in a way a measure of the 'heaviness'. So if something is very dense it is very heavy
2007-09-30 23:14:13 · answer #3 · answered by Sarah B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
density = mass/volume
if mass per unit volume is larger, then its obvious that a much denser substance will sink!
2007-10-08 09:39:59 · answer #4 · answered by Madiha 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋