An aerospace engineer is testing different materials to build protective cladding for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
Each cladding tile is manufactured as a uniform rectangular block with dimensions of 2.5 cm×6.0 cm×10.0 cm2.5\text{ cm} \times 6.0\text{ cm} \times 10.0\text{ cm}2.5 cm×6.0 cm×10.0 cm.
Calculate the volume of one cladding tile.
The table below shows the density of four candidate alloys:
| Material | Density (kg/m3\text{kg/m}^3kg/m3) |
|---|---|
| Alloy Alpha | 920 |
| Alloy Beta | 780 |
| Alloy Gamma | 1140 |
| Alloy Delta | 990 |
Seawater has a density of 1025 kg/m3. Identify which of the alloys will sink in seawater and explain why.
The engineer wants to choose an alloy to construct a lightweight buoyancy aid that sits as high as possible in the seawater. Suggest which alloy they should use, and explain your choice.
Which two microscopic properties of a substance directly determine its macroscopic density?