The relative density of a substance, such as iron, is a measure of its density compared to the density of another substance. In this case, the relative density of iron being 8 means that the density of iron is eight times greater than the density of the reference substance.
The reference substance commonly used for relative density comparisons is water, which has a density of approximately 1 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) at standard conditions. Therefore, if the relative density of iron is 8, it means that the density of iron is 8 times greater than the density of water.
To calculate the density of iron, you can multiply the density of water (1 g/cm³) by the relative density of iron (8):
Density of iron = Density of water * Relative density of iron Density of iron = 1 g/cm³ * 8 = 8 g/cm³
So, the density of iron is approximately 8 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³). This means that a given volume of iron is eight times heavier than the same volume of water.