A child playing in a swimming pool realizes that it is easy to push a small infl

Question

A child playing in a swimming pool realizes that it is easy to push a small inflated ball under the surface of the water while a large ball requires a lot of force. The child happens to have a styrofoam ball (this way the shape of the ball will not distort when it is forced under the surface) which is being forced under the surface of the water. If the child needs to supply 581 N to totally submerge the ball, calculate the diameter of the ball. The density of water is w = 1.000 × 103 kg/m3, the density of styrofoam is foam = 95.0 kg/m3 and the acceleration due to gravity is g = 9.81 m/s2.

Explanation / Answer

The581 N (F, the buoyancy) is the weight of the displaced water minus the weight of the ball itself:

F = (w - foam) * V * g

V = 4/3 pi R^3 = 4/3 pi (D/2)^3 = 1/6 pi D^3

So

F = (w - foam) * pi D^3 / 6 * g

D^3 = 6 F / ( pi*g*(w - foam))

D = ( 6 F / ( pi*g*(w - foam)) )^(1/3)

D = ?m

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.