Which metal floats on the water?
If you're wondering what metal floats on water, you won't be able to come up with an example anytime soon. In fact, however, there is a way of getting these substances to swim on the water.
Why metals drown in water
A metal that floats on the water? Seems impossible at first glance, because if you throw a coin into the water, for example, it will go under. Learn which ratio plays a role in this.
- Metals usually have a very high density. That of iron, for example, is 7.87 g / cm3. Even lighter metals like aluminum are still comparatively heavy. The fabric has a density of 2.7 g / cm3.
- If you now use the substances with the density of water, namely 1 g / cm3 compare, you will quickly find that these metals are actually incapable of floating on water.
Which metal still floats
However, there are some other metals that have a very low density of less than 1 g / cm3 and are therefore lighter than water. Which is the lightest metal?
- Lithium is the metal with the lowest density. With 0.53 g / cm 3 it is still ahead of potassium with 0.86 g / cm3 and sodium at 0.97 g / cm3. These three are all able to swim on water.
- However, with another trick it is also possible to get other metals to swim that are actually too dense for this purpose.
- Think of aluminum, for example. You are sure to have at least one roll of aluminum foil at home. This is completely regular aluminum that has been rolled out very heavily so that it is very thin and you can easily use it to wrap food, for example. If you cut off a small piece and put it in a bowl of water, it will float.
- The reason for this is the surface tension of water. This enables objects with a large surface to float effortlessly on the liquid.
The density of substances can be measured most precisely using the overflow method. …
Correspondingly, other metals with a higher density than water could also be brought into a very thin form and then allowed to float.
How helpful do you find this article?
