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Re: Test question



At 04:08 AM 6/4/2003 -0400, Herbert, you wrote:
What is the answer to the following question
that appears on a recent examination in New York State.

A plastic cup containing a wood block is floating in a pan of water.
If another wood block is placed in the cup, what will happen to the level
of the water in the pan?

A. It will go down
B. It will go up
c. It will stay the same


Wood is more dense than air, so a cup with two blocks weighs more than
a cup with one block. If a floating cup's weight increases, it floats
deeper in the water, i.e. the water level rises around the vessel.
As the volume of water in the pan is presumed constant, where the
water is excluded more by the cup, it's level thereby rises elsewhere.

?