A glass cylinder contains four liquid layers: mercury (d = 13.6 g/mL),chloroform (d = 1.49 g/mL),water (d = 1.00 g/mL),and ether (d = 0.708 g/mL).If an ice cube (d=0.92 g/mL)is dropped into the cylinder,where does it come to rest?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ice cube will float on top of the liquid layer that has a density closest to its own. The density of ice is 0.92 g/mL, which is closest to the density of water (1.00 g/mL), so the ice cube will come to rest on top of the water layer. The densities of the other liquid layers are all significantly higher or lower than the density of the ice cube, so it will not float on top of any of them.

A Glass Cylinder Contains Four Liquid Layers: Mercury (D =