(2) will be on the surface of mercury Explanation: The density of steel usually ranges between 7.75 and 8.05 g/cm3 and the density of mercury is 13.534 g/cm3. Mercury is denser than steel this will mean that the buoyant force is large enough to float the steel ball. Different materials usually have different densities, so density is an important concept regarding buoyancy, purity and packaging.