Physical Chemistry : General Physical Properties
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Example Question #1 : General Physical Properties
When placing common household liquids in a single tube, the liquids will not mix, but instead form distinct layers. Imagine a beaker with corn syrup on the bottom, followed by milk, water, and vegetable oil on top. All liquids have equal volumes.
Based on this information, which of the following statements is true?
All liquids have equal densities, which means they will not mix
Vegetable oil is the most dense liquid
Milk is more dense than water
Water is less dense than vegetable oil
Milk is more dense than water
Since we were told that all the liquids have equal volumes, the masses of the liquids for those volumes will determine which liquid is the most dense. The most dense liquid will sink to the bottom, and the least dense liquid will rise to the top. We know that the milk was underneath the water in the beaker, so we can conclude that milk has a greater density than water.
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