Chapter 13, Problem 103A

To determine

To Explain: Whether aluminum floats higher or sinks deeper in mercury when the temperature is increased.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Aluminum floats in mercury as its density is less than mercury. The density of mercury is $\text{13}.\text{534 g}/{\text{cm}}^{\text{3}}$ and that of aluminum is $\text{2}.\text{7 g}/\text{cm}³$ .

Density varies with temperature, as temperature changes volume. Density is mass by volume. Generally, the volume increases as an object is heated, as the faster-moving molecules move farther apart due to thermal expansion. Because volume is in the denominator, the density decreases with increasing volume. Therefore, the percentage of the aluminum’s volume that is dissolved in mercury would also change.

Conclusion:

Hence, aluminum will float higher in mercury when the temperature is increased.