DO NUTS AND BOLTS OF STEEL FLOAT IN MERCURY?

No os asustéis. He traducido una entrada de mi blog para un trabajo de mi clase de inglés. La entrada anterior está en castellano.

Density is a characteristic property of the material which is calculated as the quotient between its mass and volume.

In the lab we have experimented with cubic blocks of equal volume but different mass and therefore different densities. We have ordered in increasing order of density in the following way: wood, plastic, aluminum, steel and iron.

Then we have found that density is one intensive property does not depend on the amount of material of the body. In four groups of students, I have distributed different sized pieces of plasticine. They first calculated its mass with an electronic balance, and then its volume by displacement of a known volume of water in a test tube. Calculations have been made and all have concluded that the density of the plasticine is between 1100 and 1200 kg/m3.

Finally, the most impressive, do bolts and nuts of steal float in mercury?We have shown in the laboratory itself. It all depends on their respective densities.

The density of mercury is 13,600 kg/m3 and steel less than 7500 kg/m3. A body floating in another liquid if its density is smaller. We all know that these nuts and bolts do not float in water because its density is 1000 kg/m3.
But this is not necessary to prove it...