Subscribe now

Letter: Demonstrating the density illusion of different weight (1)

Published 3 July 2019

From Jan Meulendijk, Walwyn's Castle, Pembrokeshire, UK

Thomas Patrick Reid wonders whether an object’s density fools our perception of its weight (Letters, 22 June). I sometimes carry bags of cement and of hydrated lime, both with a mass of 25 kilograms. The lime is approximately half as dense, so its bags are twice as large. Against all knowledge to the contrary, I find them much less heavy.

Issue no. 3237 published 6 July 2019

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop