Final answer:
The answer to the student's question is 'B. more than the density of the crust.' The Earth's core is dense, primarily composed of iron and nickel, and the density is much higher than that of the Earth's crust due to its metallic content and intense compression.
Step-by-step explanation:
The density of the Earth's core is more than the density of the crust. The Earth's interior consists of the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. The inner core is very dense, predominantly composed of iron and nickel, and is under immense pressure, resulting in a solid state. The outer core is also composed of iron and nickel but in a liquid state.
This contrasts sharply with the Earth's crust which is significantly less dense.The mantle is situated between the crust and the outer core, consisting of rock that can deform and flow, with its density increasing from about 3.5 g/cm³ near the top to over 5 g/cm³ closer to the core due to compression.
However, the core’s density is much higher due to its metallic composition and the extreme pressures at that depth. Scientific calculations indicate that the core has an approximately 85% iron composition, with nickel making up much of the remaining 15%, all compressed to a very high density.