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When ice melts (answer)

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What kind of experiment is this?

Experimental procedure and explanation:

  • The answer is " the height of the water surface does not change".
  • When you put something in a liquid, it has a force called "buoyancy" that pushes it up. According to Archimedes' principle, "the magnitude of buoyancy is equal to the weight of the liquid that the object displaced".
  • For this experiment, the magnitude of buoyancy is equal to the weight of the same volume of water as "the volume of ice below the surface of the water". This buoyancy is balanced by the weight of the ice (gravity).
  • The volume when the ice melts is the same as this "volume of ice below the surface of the water". This is because both weights are equal.
  • The volume of melted water is the same as the "volume of ice below the surface of the water", so this fills the exact amount of space that the ice melted, and the water surface height does not change.
[Keywords] Buoyancy
[Related items] Cartesian Diver, Volume Measurement
[Reference]

“The Wonders of Flow,” Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering, Kodansha Blue Backs, P45-46.

“Illustrated Fluid Dynamics Trivia,” by Ryozo Ishiwata, Natsume Publishing, P188-189.

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Last Update:4.13.2021