The density of mercury is 5,427 #kg##/m^3#. If the density of water is #1.0# #g##/mL#, will mercury float or sink in water?

1 Answer
Aug 13, 2016

Are you sure you have got your density right? Anyway, mercury will DEFINITELY sink in water.

Explanation:

The density, #rho#, of mercury #=# #13,593*kg*m^-3#; it is #13.6*g*cm^-3# in more accessible units. Anyway, mercury metal is pretty dense stuff. If you ever found a pool of mercury, you could toss a big boulder in, and jump on the boulder, and surf on it.