Question

Suppose a barge loaded with scrap iron is in a lock, and for some reason the load is discharged overboard. Will the level of the water stay the same, fall, or rise? Write down your prediction with an explanation of your reasoning and then do the experiment. Try the same experiment with a block of wood. Describe your observations.

Answer 1

Water level will remain same. As scrap iron has been displaced from its position within inside the barge. So no change in mass of barge with iron. From Archimedes principle, weight of water displaced is equal to weight of object floating in the liquid. So weight of liquid is equal to volume of water displaced multiply by density of water and gravitational acceleration. So as weight is same therefore volume of water displaced will be same. So no change in water level