Question

Does weight play a part in the separation of materials and objects or just density? If not, then how do the objects shift? For example ice, sinking in alcohol. Isn’t weight the measurement of gravitational pull? And if so, then it must be a factor in the separation of objects. If it is a factor then how can ice sink in alcohol and not in water (assuming that the ice is the same exact weight in each.

Answer 1

Weight does not play a part in separation but density does. Consider separation of oil and water. Let us take 100g of water and 200 g of oil. Pour oil on water. The oil still floats on water because it is less dense than water. The gravitational pull does depend on mass of the object. Density also depends on mass of the object. Hence, gravitational pull depends on density. There's one more factor that determines gravitational pull which is distance. A more dense object of a given mass is smaller. Hence, it is easier to get to the center of mass and gravitational pull increases. Ice sinks in alcohol because ice is denser.