Quote:
Originally Posted by ZUKIMON
Uhh, no. Fuel floats on water.  Think, Exxon Valdese.   |
You know,I've always heard that water floats on gas too...but Chem 101
Specific Gravity
Introduction
Specific gravity is a way of relating the density of an object to the density of water to determine whether or not the object will float.
If an object's specific gravity is less than one, then the object will float. If the object has a specific gravity of greater than one, it sinks. So dense objects sink in water and less dense objects float.
Importance of Specific Gravity
Specific gravity is a very important concept in the water/wastewater field. The specific gravity of a substance will determine where a compound can be found in water in case of a spill.
Let's consider gasoline. The density of gasoline is 0.6 g/mL and the density of water is 1.0 g/mL. So the specific gravity of gasoline is:0.6
Since its specific gravity is 0.6 (less than 1), gasoline floats in water. So when a ship leaks gasoline into the water, the gasoline stays at the top of the water.
In contrast, the specific gravity of palmalive is 1.1, so it sinks in water.