Plot question: not yet released scifi novel

[Dennis]

If a human died in a vat of pickle relish, would they float or sink?

[bill]

It depends on how much salt there was in the relish

[D.J.]

How big is the vat? If the vat is quite small they may just be suspended through its height.

[Dennis]

Vat is a huge, commercial size. A body would easily fit inside.

[C.]

When bodies die, they emit gasses which is why they eventually float to the top of water even when people try to weigh them down with bricks or cinderblocks. Just watch Forensic Files to see examples of this.

The more salt in the water, the more the body will float because it is less dense. In the Dead Sea, I read an article which said it is hard to set foot on the bottom because of the body's buoyancy.

The temperature also affects rate of decay. Colder water means the body will take longer to rise. It could take a couple of weeks in a cold body of water for a body to rise vs one or two days in warm water.

The more fat a person has on their body, the easier they float as well.

Have fun searching for answers on the internet. Loads of info out there if you just ask. :)

[Dennis]

Thanks so much for this information. Everyone said it would float but your analysis is great, many things factor in to how this would play out, and being fiction you never know what will happen :)

Happy New Year!