Need help with homework problem - Archimede's principle

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a homework problem related to Archimedes' principle, specifically involving a ferryboat that sinks deeper into a river when a truck loads onto it. The problem requires determining the weight of the truck based on the principles of buoyancy and fluid displacement.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply the buoyancy formula and questions how to incorporate pressure into their calculations. They express confusion about the instructor's instructions regarding the relationship between the weight of the displaced fluid and the weight of the truck.
  • Some participants affirm the principle that the weight of the displaced water equals the weight of the truck and discuss the relationship between buoyancy and the volume of water displaced.
  • Others suggest using the density of water to calculate the mass of the displaced water and reformulate the buoyancy equation accordingly.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights into the application of Archimedes' principle and the relationship between buoyancy and displaced water. There is a productive exchange of ideas, though no consensus has been reached on the specific calculations or interpretations of the problem.

Contextual Notes

The original poster is new to the forum and is seeking clarification on the problem setup and the application of relevant principles. There may be assumptions regarding the density of water and the conditions of the problem that are not explicitly stated.

PHYclueless
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Hello all. I am new to this site and was hoping someone could help me with a homework problem I'm trying to do.

Here's the problem:
A small ferryboat is 4.0m wide, 6.0m long. When a loaded truck pulls onto it, the boat sinks an additional 4.0cm into the river. What is the weight of the truck?

I found the area by taking 4m(6m)=24m^2. I understand I need to use the bouyancy formula B=PVG. In order to get the pressure would I take P=P+PGH?

The instructor said to take the volume and plug that into the result from Archimede's preinciple which says that the weight of the displaced fluid will equal the weight of the truck.

I don't understand what she means:confused: . Can anyone help?

Thank you so much!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The weight of the displaced water resulting from the truck should equal the weight of the truck, by Archimedes' principle.
 
The ferryboat experiences an additional upwards boyancy force, [itex]B[/itex], equal to the weight of the water it displaced as it sank deeper into the water when the truck pulled up onto it. This force is given by
[tex]B=mg[/tex]
where [itex]m[/itex] is the mass of the displaced water (by the ferryboat). We can use the density of water to calculate the mass of the displaced water:
[tex]\rho = \frac{m}{V}[/tex]
where [itex]V[/itex] is the volume of the displaced water - the volume of the ferry that sank into the water as the truck drove onto it. The mass is therefore given by
[tex]m=\rho V[/tex]
changing the original formula to
[tex]B=\rho Vg[/tex]
 
Thank you so much!
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 39 ·
2
Replies
39
Views
5K
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K