Re: Test question

[Mark Sylvester <msylvest@XNET.IT>]

Herb,

Normal assumptions: I don't see how the cup can sink, assuming that the
plastic cup indeed has negligible weight. If the wooden blocks float when
put directly in the water, and they fit inside the cup (it does say
"another block is placed *inside* the cup"), then the cup cannot sink.

Now if you cheat and *push* the cup down and make it sink, then the water
level will be the same before and after the sinking operation since the
displaced water will in both cases be just what's needed to support just
the blocks (still assuming cup of negligible weight).

But this goes some way from the question, which asks what happens *when you
add another block*. The water goes up, whether you sink the cup or not.

Mark


At 10:37 04/06/03 -0400, Herbert H Gottlieb wrote:
> I agree that your question (below)  is a lot more interesting
> than my origin question.  However, I have still not received
> a good answer to my original question.
>
> Herb
>
>
> On Wed, 04 Jun 2003 06:53:56 -0700 John Barrer <forcejb@YAHOO.COM>
> writes:
> > I believe a more interesting question is:
> >
> > Given the initial water level of the cup/2 block/pan
> > of water system (which is higher than with only one
> > block in the cup), what happens to the water level if
> > one block is removed from the cup and placed directly
> > in the water? Answer for two cases: one in which the
> > block floats partially submerged, the other in which
> > the block sinks to the bottom. John Barrere
> >
> > --- Herbert H Gottlieb <herbgottlieb@JUNO.COM> 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
> >
> >
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Mark Sylvester
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