Floating Debris
One of the problems with debris in the ocean is that it is often difficult to see, because much of the object is under the surface of the water. An object with a density of 740 kg/m3 and a mass of 1651 kg is thrown into the ocean. Find the volume of the object sticking out of the water (use ρsea water = 1024 kg/m3).
0.619 m^3
0.619 m^3
Approach
For an object that is floating in a fluid, the ratio of the density of the object over the density of the fluid is the fraction, f, of the object's volume that is submerged. The fraction of the object that is above the fluid is then 1-f.
Solution
Given quantities:
- density of object, ρo = 740 kg/m3
- mass of object, mo = 1651 kg
- density of sea water, ρsw = 1024 kg/m3