Solid is more dense than a gas.

Solid is more dense than a gas.

• A. Gas is more dense than solid
• B. Solid is more dense than gas
• C. Liquids are always the least dense
• D. Density does not vary with pressure

Answer: (B)

Density is a measure of how much mass fits into a given volume. In a solid, particles are packed tightly with very little empty space, so a sample has a large mass in a small volume. In a gas, particles are far apart and move freely, so the same amount of gas takes up a much larger volume and has a much smaller density under ordinary conditions. That’s why solids are typically more dense than gases. The other ideas don’t fit as well: a gas being more dense than a solid isn’t the usual case, liquids aren’t always the least dense, and gas density changes with pressure and temperature (solids aren’t as easily compressed, so their density changes less).

Density is a measure of how much mass fits into a given volume. In a solid, particles are packed tightly with very little empty space, so a sample has a large mass in a small volume. In a gas, particles are far apart and move freely, so the same amount of gas takes up a much larger volume and has a much smaller density under ordinary conditions. That’s why solids are typically more dense than gases. The other ideas don’t fit as well: a gas being more dense than a solid isn’t the usual case, liquids aren’t always the least dense, and gas density changes with pressure and temperature (solids aren’t as easily compressed, so their density changes less).