Flotation in water The density of water is 1000 kg/m3
(or 1 g/cm3
• substances with a lower density than 1000 kg/m3 in water
), which tells us that: will float
• substances with a greater density than 1000 kg/m3 in water
will sink
For example, at 0.9 g/cm³ ice is less dense than liquid water, which is why ice cubes float in a glass of water.
Eureka
Ice has a lower density than seawater and only one-tenth of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the sea. Extreme care has to be taken when sailing near icebergs to avoid crashing into them, due to the large amount of submerged ice.
:Fig. 26.6 Ice floats in water
The following table shows the density of a number of substances, compared to water: Substance
Helium gas Air
Cork
Paraffin oil Ice
Water
Seawater Blood Steel
Mercury Iridium
Density (g/cm3 0.0002 0.0013 0.3 0.8 0.9 1
1.030 1.6 7.8
13.6 22.6
Eureka
Ping-pong ball Vegetable oil Lego brick Coloured water Washing-up liquid Cherry tomato Milk Die Bolt Honey
:Fig. 26.7 Liquids and solids density tower Elements of Science 257
The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and Jordan. It is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water – 9.6 times as salty as the ocean! This higher density of salt allows people to float in it more easily than in other salt lakes or seas.