Density Calculator
Calculate density, mass or volume — with material reference table and sink/float predictor
// Common Material Densities — Click to Load
Understanding Density
Density is the amount of mass packed into a given volume. It tells you how "heavy" a material is relative to its size. A golf ball and a ping-pong ball are similar in size but very different in mass — golf balls are denser.
Formulas
Archimedes and Floating
An object floats when its density is less than the density of the fluid it is placed in. Water has a density of 1.0 g/cm³. Any material with density below 1.0 g/cm³ will float in water; above 1.0 g/cm³ it will sink — assuming it is solid and fully submerged.
// Float Test
Anything with density less than 1 g/cm³ floats in water. Ice (0.917 g/cm³) floats — that's why icebergs show only ~10% above the surface.
// Densest Element
Osmium is the densest known element at ~22.59 g/cm³ — more than twice as dense as lead (11.34 g/cm³).
// Human Body
The average density of the human body is ~985 kg/m³ — just slightly less than water, which is why we barely float.
// Cooking
Oil floats on water because it's less dense (~0.92 g/cm³). This is why oil and water don't mix — they separate by density.