That's just the tip of the iceberg" is a popular expression you may have heard. It means that what you can see is only a small p
art of the overall problem. As the diagram shows, most of an iceberg is actually out of sight, below the water level. Based on this diagram, what is the most likely density of the iceberg? (Assume a density of 1.03 g/mL for seawate
Explanation: This means that its density is slightly less than the density of seawater. An object with a density of 0.23 g/cc will float much higher in the water. An object with a density greater than 1.03 g/cc would sink. Therefore the most likely density of the iceberg is 0.88 g/cc.
<span>The density of an iceberg is less than that of water and that is why it floats. It is the same as ice cubes floating on water too. Water is a very unique substance in that it is one of few compounds where cooling it past freezing point decreases its density (study hydrogen bonds). The possible answers are therefore A or C. If the majority of the ice is below the water then it should be clear from common sense that A is the correct answer as it would mostly float on the top with just a little under the surface if the answer were as low as C. See Archimedes Principle for an explanation of how much of the ice floats and how much is underwater.</span>
