Question

Kerosene is lighter than water so it floats on water but kerosene is still considered optically denser than water .give reason

Answer 1

Answer:

Now, mass density of kerosene is 810 kg/m3 and that of water 998 kg/m3. It means, mass density of water is more than that of kerosene. Thus, kerosene whose mass density is less than water, is optically denser than water.

Optical density of a material determines the ability of the material to reflect light. It is not the same as mass density of the medium, which determines the heaviness of the material. That is why kerosene inspire of being less denser in terms of mass than water, it is optically more denser than water.