Question

Consider a hollow, cylindrical steel container that can hold up to 230 liters of gasoline (pgasoline 680 kg/ms) a Can gasoline (by itself float on seawater? Explain. "b) Since steel is much denser than (sea)water, how can this steel container float on seawater, whether it's filled with gasoline or not? Explain.

Answer 1

Solution:

a) The density of Gasoline is 718 kg/^3 which is Less than that of water whose density is 100 kg /m^3 .Therefore Gasoline by itself can float on water. Furthermore the specific gravity of gasoline is less than that of water. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of the liquid to the density of water.

b) If the weight of water displaced by a ship is greater than its total weight , then the ship will float. It is Archimedes principle which can be used to explain the laws of flotation. If the weight of the water displaced by the ship is less than the weight of the steel ship , whether filled with gasoline or other weight , it will sink.

But if weight of water displaced is greater or equal to the weight of the ship , then it will float.