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Floating Japanese Penny

Let's take a look!

Watch the video on YouTube.

What kind of experiment is this?

Experimental procedure and explanation:

  • You can float a Japanese penny, which is made of aluminum, on water.
  • The reason is often explained as “surface tension” but buoyancy also has an effect. The ratio between surface tension and buoyancy is about 1.7:1.

[Keywords] surface tension, buoyancy
[Reference] “The Wonders of Flow” Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering, Kodansha Blue Backs pp. 42-47.
Last Update:9.7.2013