Which is heavier an equal volume of water or gasoline?

Weight of Water Compared to Weight of Gasoline

At a temperature of 20 degrees C or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, a (U.S.) gallon of pure water weighs about 8.34 pounds, whereas a gallon of vehicular gasoline weighs about 6.15 pounds at that temperature.

Diesel weighs about 7.1 pounds per gallon.

Though the question is appears to be about weight, it is actually about density, which is weight per unit of volume.

The SI-Unit of density is the kilogram per cubic metre, and expressed in those units, the densities are these:

Water: 998 kg/m³

Gasoline: 720 kg/m³

Diesel: 830 kg/m³

You see this when gasoline and water are put into a glass: because they are immiscible and the density of gasoline is lower, it will stay at the top. (Be careful when doing this as gasoline vapor is explosive and toxic!)

In the bathyscaphe Trieste, a research submarine designed to go to the deepest point of the Pacific Ocean, the bathyscaphe was filled with gasoline, which was buoyant in the ocean water. It carried steel shot as ballast to make it sink, and the gasoline provided the "lift", similar to a balloon in the air.

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First answer by Buntingj. Last edit by Schnazola. Contributor trust: 1633 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 285 [recommend question]