What is the heaviest to fill my parasol base? Water, sand or road salt?

Answer

Dear Laurette,

To make a choice, we only need to know the density (density mass) of these three materials.

The greater the density, the heavier the parasol base will be after filling.

From lowest to highest, the density varies as follows:

• Water: 1000 kg per cubic meter
• Salt: about 1200 to per cubic meter
• Dry sand: this ranges from 1200 to 1500 kg per cubic meter. (The exact value depends on how coarse and how loose the sand is.)
• Wet sand: almost 2000 kg per cubic meter

The parasol base can therefore be made almost twice as heavy by filling it with wet sand instead of water. Hopefully it won’t blow over again!

Regards,
Prof. dr. Sylvia