Understanding Relative Density

Relative density (also called specific gravity) compares the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance. The reference substance is usually water at 4°C.

Calculations

1. Gather the densities:

* Density of mercury (Hg): 13.534 g/cm³

* Density of gold (Au): 19.32 g/cm³

* Density of osmium (Os): 22.59 g/cm³

2. Calculate relative densities:

* Mercury relative to gold: (Density of Mercury) / (Density of Gold) = 13.534 g/cm³ / 19.32 g/cm³ ≈ 0.70

* Mercury relative to osmium: (Density of Mercury) / (Density of Osmium) = 13.534 g/cm³ / 22.59 g/cm³ ≈ 0.60

Interpretation

* Mercury is about 0.70 times as dense as gold. This means mercury is less dense than gold.

* Mercury is about 0.60 times as dense as osmium. This means mercury is less dense than osmium.

In simpler terms:

* Gold is about 1.43 times denser than mercury.

* Osmium is about 1.67 times denser than mercury.