What is more dense, fresh water or salt water and how do you know?

Salt water is more dense because measurements tell us that it is. You can also look it up. The higher the salt content, the more dense the solution.

A better questions would be WHY this is so.

No

To determine which type of water is more dense, we need to compare the densities of fresh water and salt water. The density of a substance is defined as its mass per unit volume.

To find the answer, we can perform a simple experiment using a couple of identical containers. Fill one container with fresh water and another container with salt water. Now you need to carefully weigh both containers using a balance to determine their masses. Make sure to tare or zero the balance with an empty container first.

Next, measure the volume of each container. This can be done by measuring the height, width, and length of the container and calculating its volume using the formula V = length × width × height.

Now, divide the mass of each container by its respective volume. The resulting values will give you the densities of each type of water.

Compare the obtained densities. Fresh water has a density of approximately 1 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) at standard temperature and pressure, whereas salt water has a slightly higher density due to the dissolved salts. Salt water, on average, has a density of about 1.03 g/cm³.

Based on this comparison, we can conclude that salt water is more dense than fresh water.