Why does an egg sink in fresh water but floats in salt water?

Answer 1

Eggs, water, floating.

An egg doesn't float in fresh water but since salt water is more dense than fresh water, it has a better chance of floating in the salt water. The greater buoyant force allows the egg to float in the salt water, if salty enough.

More explanation

An egg sinks in fresh water but not in salt water because fresh water is not as dense. In order for something to float, the buoyant force has to be greater than or equal to the weight of the object. The buoyant force is equal to the weight of the liquid that is displaced by the object. To figure out the weight of the water displaced you multiply the density of the water by the volume and then multiply that by gravity. The density of the fresh water is less than the density of the salt water, therefore the weight of the water displaced will be greater in the case of the salt water, resulting in a greater buoyant force.

The more salt in water the more bouyant an object becomes. The salt makes the water more denser. Check out the dead sea. Most salt content in any lake or sea. The density of the salt water is greater than the density of the egg. Items sink if their own density is greater than the density of whatever they are trying to float in. Items float to the top if their density is less than the density of what they are floating in, and items hang in the middle if the densities are the same. Adding in the salt gives the water a greater density than the water did had before, so the egg doesn't float in freshwater.

Did you know?

A fresh egg will sink in fresh water but it will float in salty water. A rotten egg will float in fresh water.