Answer:
it will float on the surface of the mercury. The ball of lead will not sink into the mercury because it is less dense than mercury.
Step-by-step explanation:
Density is a measure of how much mass is packed into a given volume of a substance. The formula for density is:
density = mass / volume
The unit for density is kg/m3 or g/cm3. The higher the density of a substance, the heavier it is for its size. When two substances are mixed together, the one with the higher density will sink to the bottom, while the one with the lower density will float on top. In this question, we are given the densities of mercury and lead as:
density of mercury = 13,600 kg/m3 density of lead = 11,340 kg/m3
We can see that mercury has a higher density than lead, which means that it is heavier for its size. Therefore, if a ball of lead is dropped into a beaker filled with mercury, it will float on the surface of the mercury. The ball of lead will not sink into the mercury because it is less dense than mercury. This is an unusual phenomenon because most metals are denser than liquids and will sink in them. However, mercury is an exception because it is a very dense liquid metal that can make other metals float on it.