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Re: [Phys-L] Nice question on buoyancy and balance



Cool! To me, it's a fundamental question/activity for fluids.
Gets at the heart of fluid displacement.
And can easily be done.
And many are amazed at the answer!

Physics rules!!



Phys-L@Phys-L.org writes:
A couple of my FaceBook crowd were quite surprised and pleased with
themselves when they actually put a container of water on a kitchen scale
a stuck their hand into it.

One was an engineer (!) and the other a housewife I taught back in the
‘80s.

It seemed to be quite an Aha! moment for each of them.


On Jan 30, 2014, at 8:17 AM, Anthony Lapinski <Anthony_Lapinski@pds.org>
wrote:

Good idea! I agree we don't want to stump the students. They already
find
physics very challenging.

When I ask (peer instruction) questions on Archimedes Principle, I start
with the basics and build from that:

Drop marble into cylinder of water. What happens to buoyant force as it
sinks?
Two bowling balls in aquarium -- one floats, one sinks. Compare buoyant
forces.
Ship sinks in canal lock. What happens to water level in lock?
Ice cube melts in beaker of water. What happens to water level?
Two beakers with water at same level, but one has cork floating. Compare
scale readings.
Stick finger in beaker of water. What happens to scale reading?

So many more. You could do an entire unit/test on this stuff.

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