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Question

Is it always true that the molecules of a dense liquid are heavier than the molecules of a lighter liquid?

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Solution

Density is defined as mass per unit volume. It tells how closely packed are the molecules inside an object. When molecules are tightly packed, we say that the object is dense; when molecules are far apart, we say that the object is light.
The density of a liquid depends on the mass of the molecules that make up the liquid and the closeness of the molecules of the liquid. It is not always true that the molecules of a dense liquid are heavier than the molecules of a lighter liquid.
For example, alcohol is less dense than oil. Alcohol molecules are mostly carbon and hydrogen atoms, so they are similar to oil. But they also contain an oxygen atom, which makes them a little heavy. For this reason, you might think that alcohol is denser than oil. But because of their shape and size, alcohol molecules do not pack as efficiently as oil molecules. This property of molecules makes alcohol less dense than oil.

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