1. Assertion (A): An iron ball floats on mercury but gets immersed in water.
2. Reason (R): The specific gravity of iron is more than that of mercury.
A
Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
B
Both A and R are individually true but R is not a correct explanation of A
C
A is true but R is false
D
A is false but R is true
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
1. Assertion (A) states that an iron ball floats on mercury but gets immersed in water. This is true. An object floats if its density is less than the density of the fluid it is placed in. The density of iron (approx. 7.87 g/cm³) is less than the density of mercury (approx. 13.56 g/cm³), so iron floats on mercury. The density of iron is greater than the density of water (approx. 1 g/cm³), so iron sinks (gets immersed) in water.
2. Reason (R) states that the specific gravity of iron is more than that of mercury. This is false. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance (usually water). Since the density of iron is *less* than the density of mercury, the specific gravity of iron (relative to water, ~7.87) is *less* than the specific gravity of mercury (relative to water, ~13.56).
3. Therefore, Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.