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density The ratio of the mass of any substance to the volume it occupies. At sea-level pressure, air is compressed and therefore has a higher density (approximately 1.2 ounces per cubic foot) than it would have aloft under lower pressure. In more conventional units, air density is about 0.0012 grams per cc, which makes it about 800 times lighter than water. Heavy metals are about 10 times heavier than water. Water is the standard for density at 1 gram per cubic centimeter. See questions about air masses for more discussion of density. See related discussion under floating.

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