Fluids - A lost shipping container is found resting on the ocean floor

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a shipping container found submerged on the ocean floor, with a spherical balloon attached to it. The task is to determine the mass of the container while considering the buoyant forces acting on both the container and the balloon, using principles of fluid mechanics and buoyancy.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the calculation of volumes for both the container and the balloon, as well as the buoyant forces acting on them. There is an exploration of Archimedes' principle and how it applies to the problem. Some participants question the treatment of the buoyant force of the air in the balloon versus the seawater.

Discussion Status

Several participants have provided calculations and alternative approaches to determining the mass of the container. There is a recognition of the need to focus on the buoyant force exerted by seawater rather than the air in the balloon. Some participants suggest simplifying the calculations by ignoring gravitational acceleration in certain steps, leading to a consensus on the final mass value derived from the calculations.

Contextual Notes

Participants are operating under the assumption that the mass of the balloon and the air within it can be ignored, and they are focused on the buoyant forces related to the seawater displacement.

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Homework Statement



A lost shipping container is found resting on the ocean floor and completely submerged. The container is 6.3 m long, 2.1 m wide, and 2.6 m high. Salvage experts attach a spherical balloon to the top of the container and inflate it with air pumped down from the surface. When the balloon's radius is 1.8 m, the shipping container just begins to rise towards the surface. What is the mass of the container? Ignore the mass of the balloon and the air within it. Do not neglect the buoyant force exerted on the shipping container by the water. The density of seawater is 1025 kg/m3.

Container

L = 6.3 m
w = 2.1 m
h = 2.6 m
V = ?

Balloon / Air

r = 1.8 m
p = 1.29 kg / m3
V =
FB =

Water

p = 1025 kg / m3
FB =

Homework Equations



Archimedes' Principle

FB = Wfluid

Vcontainer = L * w * h

Vballoon = 4/3 \pir3

p = m / v

F = ma

The Attempt at a Solution



First I found the volumes for the container and the balloon.

Vcontainer = L * w * h

Vcontainer = 6.3 * 2.1 * 2.6

Vcontainer = 34.398 m3


Vballoon = 4/3 \pir3

Vballoon = 4/3 \pi1.83

Vballoon = 24.429

I then tried to find the buoyant force of the air.

FB = Wair

FB = mg

FB = pVg

FB = 1.29 * 24.429 * 9.8

FB = 308.83 N

And then for the sea water.

FB = Wwater

FB = mg

FB = pVg

FB = 1025 * 34.398 * 9.8

FB = 345527.91 N

After this, I used Newton's 2nd law...

F = ma

m = F / a

m = FBair + FBwater / g

m = 308.83 N + 345527.91 N / 9.80 m/s2

m = 35289 kg ----> 3.5 * 104 kg

But...this appears to be wrong...Um...thoughts?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
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Check the bouyancy of the balloon

You can ignore the mass of the air - otherwise it's the same calcuation as the container
 
Hmmm...

The buoyant force equals the weight of the displaced fluid which is the sea water, not the air. So the equation should have been:

FB = Wwater

= mg

= pVballoong

= 1025 * 24.429 * 9.8

= 245389 N

So, using that...

F = mg

m = F / g

m = 245389.30 N + 345527.91 N / 9.80 m/s2

m = 60297.67 kg ----> 6.0 * 104 kg

How is that?
 
Assuming you pressed the right buttons - yes.
You can simplify it a little by ignoring 'g' - since you cancel it out.
You just want the mass of seawater contained in the volume of shipping container and volume of balloon.
 
Didn't know what you meant by the g's cancelling, but I went back a few steps and tried this...Please excuse pi appearing as an exponent, I have no idea why that happens.

p(4/3 \pir3)[STRIKE]g[/STRIKE] + p(L*w*h)[STRIKE]g[/STRIKE] = m[STRIKE]g[/STRIKE]

p(4/3 \pir3) + p(L*w*h) = m

1025 kg/[STRIKE]m3[/STRIKE] (24.429 [STRIKE]m3[/STRIKE]) + 1025 kg/[STRIKE]m3[/STRIKE] (34.398 [STRIKE]m3[/STRIKE])

1025 kg (24.429) + 1025 kg (34.398)

25039.725 kg + 35257.95 kg

= 60297.675 kg ---> 6.0 * 104 kg

Do I pass?
 
Thats exactly it, since you are asked for the mass it doesn't really make sense to multiply the masses of seawater by g to calculate upward force then divide the weight by g to get mass
So you should get the same answer!
 
Great! Thanks a bunch for your help! :)
 

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