What will happen to the water level of the swimming pool?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects on the water level of a swimming pool when a pebble is thrown from a boat into the pool. Participants explore the implications of buoyancy, density, and displacement in this scenario, considering both theoretical and practical aspects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that when the pebble is in the boat, it contributes to the boat's weight, causing the boat to displace water based on the total weight of the boat and the pebble.
  • Others argue that once the pebble is thrown into the pool, it displaces its own volume of water, potentially leading to the same water level as before.
  • A participant introduces the idea of considering extreme cases, such as a weightless boat and a pebble with infinite density, to simplify understanding of the problem.
  • Some participants discuss the role of buoyancy and how the pebble's position (in the boat versus in the water) affects the overall displacement of water.
  • There are claims that the boat's presence adds complexity to the problem, with suggestions that the question could be simplified by focusing solely on the pebble's volume and displacement.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of understanding the base math of the problem, suggesting that additional information may be extraneous.
  • Disagreements arise regarding the interpretation of buoyancy and displacement, with some participants questioning the reasoning of others without providing explicit corrections.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the outcome of the water level change. Multiple competing views remain regarding the effects of the pebble's displacement and the role of the boat in the scenario.

Contextual Notes

Participants express various assumptions about buoyancy, density, and the mechanics of displacement without resolving these assumptions. The discussion includes hypothetical scenarios that may not align with practical applications.

Ravi Singh choudhary
Messages
123
Reaction score
7
if the person sitting in the boat throws a pebble to the swimming pool. Pebble was initially contained inside the boat and of course it has higher density than water.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What do you think will happen and why?
 
The density of boat will become low after throwing the pebble. Therefore boat will rise decreasing the level of the water in the swimming pool but at the same time stone is inside swimming pool again displacing some volume that means water level will be the same.
 
The boat displaces water based on the boats total weight and density of water. The pebble is denser than water.
 
rcgldr said:
The boat displaces water based on the boats total weight and density of water. The pebble is denser than water.
So what's the conclusion
 
Lost an edit to my last post. Posting here. Think of this as another clue.

When the pebble is in the boat, all of it's weight is supported by the buoyant force of displaced water. When the pebble is resting on the bottom of the pool, some of it's weight is supported directly by the bottom of the pool.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Ravi Singh choudhary and CWatters
Cosider the extreme case and the problem is much easier to understand;
The boat is weightless and the pebble has close to infinite density.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: jbriggs444 and CWatters
billy_joule said:
Cosider the extreme case and the problem is much easier to understand;
The boat is weightless and the pebble has close to infinite density.
That means initially boat and pebble was drowned, displaced volume is (volume of boat + volume of pebble). When pebble is thrown, boat will rise to the top and boat's bottom surface will just kiss the water surface and pebble is drowned only; so this time only displaced volume is volume of the pebble. Am I correct in the interpretation of weightless boat and pebble of infinite density?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: hsdrop
A boat can support near infinite weight without sinking, it just has to be very large.
The boat will only sink if we constrain its size in some way, if we let the boat sink the question is very different, and IMO losses the interesting aspect.

The weightless boat and very dense pebble has the same result as the question in your OP, it's just that the extreme case makes the outcome much more dramatic/easier to understand.
 
  • #10
Perhaps focus on the very dense pebble part.
 
  • #11
Ravi Singh choudhary said:
displaced volume is (volume of boat + volume of pebble). When pebble is thrown ... only displaced volume is volume of the pebble. Am I correct in the interpretation of weightless boat and pebble of infinite density?
The second part is correct. For the first part (pebble in boat), the displaced volume is the volume of water equal to the weight of the boat and the pebble.
 
  • #12
Ravi Singh choudhary said:
...time stone is inside swimming pool again displacing some volume that means water level will be the same.
How did you get from "some" to "same"?
 
  • #13
It seems to me that the boat is what confusing. All the boat does in this case is add bounce to the rock. Allowing it to float which means that some of the total surface of the rock is out of the water at this point setting the level of the water. Then you take away the boat or at least take away the bounce of the rock. The rock sinking to the bottom getting completely covered in water making the level of the water go up. You can also look at the question like this. Say you have a ball that you can add and subtract sand from. when the ball is empty the ball floats taking up less space in the water. When you fill the ball makes it sink. The ball takes up more space in the water making the water level go up. From my point of view the question is one of volume and all the rest of info is just there for continuity of speech. Real life or word problems always have extra info. You just have to figure out what the base math is in the problem and everything else is useless info
 
  • #14
hsdrop said:
All the boat does in this case is add bounce to the rock. Allowing it to float which means that some of the total surface of the rock is out of the water
When in the boat, the entire rock surface is dry, but the rock can still be completely below the water level.
 
  • #15
A.T. said:
When in the boat, the entire rock surface is dry, but the rock can still be completely below the water level.
you know i could wipe the rock in cellophane. keeping the rock dry at the bottom of the water Then call the cellophane the boat the question does not ask if the rock gets wet or not it asks what the level of the water when the rock is at the bottom of the water compared to floating on top
 
  • #16
hsdrop said:
i could wipe the rock in cellophane. keeping the rock dry at the bottom of the water Then call the cellophane the boat
That would be a submarine though.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Stephanus and hsdrop
  • #17
lol very true
by definition: to float on or in water the sum of the parts have to be less dense than the water. Everything that floats has some part is out of the water and that would lead you to think that when pushed down (either by a finger or grative) the water would have to rise ? you did say the boat is wireless which means that the boat does not displace any water on its own. rock bears the total load of the boat and rock when in the water so you take away the waterless boat (the upward force on the rock making it float) and the rock sinks I'm just looking at the boat as a way to lesson the density of the rock
 
  • #18
Ravi Singh choudhary said:
That means initially boat and pebble was drowned, displaced volume is (volume of boat + volume of pebble). When pebble is thrown, boat will rise to the top and boat's bottom surface will just kiss the water surface and pebble is drowned only; so this time only displaced volume is volume of the pebble. Am I correct in the interpretation of weightless boat and pebble of infinite density?
billy_joule said:
A boat can support near infinite weight without sinking, it just has to be very large.
The boat will only sink if we constrain its size in some way, if we let the boat sink the question is very different, and IMO losses the interesting aspect.

The weightless boat and very dense pebble has the same result as the question in your OP, it's just that the extreme case makes the outcome much more dramatic/easier to understand.
It doesn't have to be. The volume of the pebble has to be very, very small to sustain the wieght of a "normal" pebble.
As long as it's not below ##2GM/c^2## or it will evaporate all the water in the swimming pool, and hopefully not the entire city. :smile:
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: hsdrop
  • #19
hsdrop said:
the water would have to rise ?
If that's your conclusion, then something is wrong with your reasoning.
 
  • #20
hsdrop said:
lol very true
by definition: to float on or in water the sum of the parts have to be less dense than the water.
To float on or in the water the parts must have density less than or equal to the water.

Equal (neutral buoyancy) is just the limiting case where the object must displace all the water it can possibly displace to achieve a balance between gravity and buoyancy.
 
  • #21
hsdrop said:
i could wipe the rock in cellophane. keeping the rock dry at the bottom of the water Then call the cellophane the boat
A.T. said:
That would be a submarine though.
Sinking to the bottom is not usually the desirable mode of operation for a submarine!
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: hsdrop
  • #22
A.T. said:
If that's your conclusion, then something is wrong with your reasoning.
did you read my reasoning?? Please do not just point at something and say it wrong. It would be much more helpful to everyone that are trying to learn if you explained why it was wrong
 
  • #24
A.T. said:
Try applying some actual physics:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes'_principle
that still lives it up to the reader to try to figure out what was wrong with my thinking
hsdrop said:
It would be much more helpful to everyone that are trying to learn if you explained why it was wrong
 
  • #25
hsdrop said:
that still lives it up to the reader to try to figure out what was wrong with my thinking
It doesn't use physics, just vague associations.
 
  • #26
ok I have tried being polite with this in asking how and why my logic was wrong. please keep in mind that I'm not at all trying to argue that I was right or not. I have how ever been asking for a specific reason why I'm wrong so I can learn and others reading this can learn from my misthinking as well. but if all you're going to do is answer with "vague associations" to my thinking it will not help me or anyone else at all. it one thing to point out that someone is wrong. but if me or anyone else is going to learn from this it would be much more effective if you gave a specific reason (with the example given) why it is wrong
 
  • #27
hsdrop said:
but if me or anyone else is going to learn from this it would be much more effective if you gave a specific reason (with the example given) why it is wrong
Apply Archimedes' principle to the scenario. Then you can revisit your previous arguments yourself to see where they went wrong.
 
  • #28
i did try to do that that's why i keep asking where i went wrong to my understanding the question is a question of valium and not one of bouncey because it asks if the water level goes up or not
 
  • #29
hsdrop said:
i did try to do that
So what did you get for:
- Water displaced by boat with stone
- Water displaced by boat without stone
- Water displaced by sunken stone

I don't see where you derive those quantities.
 
  • #30
billy_joule said:
The weightless boat and very dense pebble has the same result as the question in your OP, it's just that the extreme case makes the outcome much more dramatic/easier to understand.
a weightless boat would not displace any water till something is put on it
the mass placed on the boat would just displace the water for the mass
but you're saying that if the mass was submerged the water level would stay the same no matter what the volume of the mass is(provided it would sink and not float on it own)??
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
9K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 48 ·
2
Replies
48
Views
12K