Does mercury float?
Does mercury float?
No
13,534 kg/m³ against water's 1,000
Mercury sinks. At 13,534 kg/m³ it is 13.53 times denser than water.
Why
Floating is decided by density alone — mass divided by volume — compared against the fluid. Weight has nothing to do with it directly: a 200-tonne ship floats and a 2-gram pebble sinks, because the ship encloses enough air to bring its average density below that of water. That is also the only reason a steel hull works.
The numbers
- Density
- 13,534 kg/m³
- Relative to fresh water
- 13.534×
- Floats in fresh water
- No
- Floats in seawater
- No
Compared with other materials
| Material | Density | Floats |
|---|---|---|
| Inconel 718 | 8,190 kg/m³ | No |
| brass | 8,500 kg/m³ | No |
| tin-lead solder (60/40) | 8,520 kg/m³ | No |
| bronze | 8,800 kg/m³ | No |
| Monel 400 | 8,800 kg/m³ | No |
| nickel | 8,908 kg/m³ | No |
| copper | 8,960 kg/m³ | No |
| silver | 10,490 kg/m³ | No |
| lead | 11,340 kg/m³ | No |
| mercury ← | 13,534 kg/m³ | No |
Common questions
- Does mercury float in water?
- No — at 13,534 kg/m³ it is denser than water's 1,000.
- Does weight decide whether something floats?
- No, density does. A 200-tonne ship floats and a small pebble sinks, because the ship encloses enough air to bring its average density below water.
Related pages
- Mercury properties Density, melting point, strength
- Does air float? Yes
- Does expanded polystyrene foam float? Yes
- Does rigid polyurethane foam float? Yes
- Does EVA foam float? Yes
- Does balsa float? Yes
- Does corrugated cardboard float? Yes
- Does cork float? Yes
- Does western red cedar float? Yes
Sources
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)