Part A – Buoyant force
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (a) 1 | \(B = W_{\text{air}} – W_{\text{water}}\) | The buoyant force \(B\) equals the difference between the weight of the object measured in air and the apparent weight when submerged. |
| (a) 2 | \(B = 17.8\,N – 16.2\,N = 1.6\,N\) | Substitute the given readings to calculate the buoyant force. |
| (a) 3 | \(\boxed{B = 1.6\,N}\) | This is the final buoyant force acting on the object in water. |
Part B – Volume of the object
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (b) 1 | \(B = \rho_{w} g V\) | According to Archimedes’ principle, the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the displaced water where \(\rho_{w}\) is the density of water, \(g\) is gravitational acceleration, and \(V\) is the volume displaced. |
| (b) 2 | \(V = \frac{B}{\rho_{w} g}\) | Rearrange the formula to solve for the volume of the object. |
| (b) 3 | \(V = \frac{1.6}{1000 \times 9.8}\) | Substitute \(B = 1.6\,N\), \(\rho_{w} = 1000\,kg/m^3\), and \(g = 9.8\,m/s^2\). |
| (b) 4 | \(V \approx 1.63 \times 10^{-4}\,m^3\) | Compute the division \(1.6/(9800)\) to obtain the object’s volume. |
| (b) 5 | \(\boxed{V \approx 1.63 \times 10^{-4}\,m^3}\) | This is the final volume of the object. |
Part C – Density of the object
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (c) 1 | \(W = m g\) | The weight of the object in air is the product of its mass \(m\) and gravitational acceleration \(g\). |
| (c) 2 | \(m = \frac{W}{g} = \frac{17.8}{9.8}\) | Solve for the mass by rearranging the weight formula using \(W = 17.8\,N\) and \(g = 9.8\,m/s^2\). |
| (c) 3 | \(m \approx 1.82\,kg\) | Performing the division gives the mass of the object. |
| (c) 4 | \(\rho = \frac{m}{V}\) | Density is defined as mass divided by volume. |
| (c) 5 | \(\rho = \frac{1.82}{1.63 \times 10^{-4}}\) | Substitute \(m \approx 1.82\,kg\) and \(V \approx 1.63 \times 10^{-4}\,m^3\) into the density formula. |
| (c) 6 | \(\rho \approx 1.12 \times 10^4\,kg/m^3\) | The division yields the density of the object. |
| (c) 7 | \(\boxed{\rho \approx 1.12 \times 10^4\,kg/m^3}\) | This is the final density of the object. |
Part D – Absolute pressure when object is removed
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (d) 1 | \(p = p_{\text{atm}} + \rho_{w} g h\) | The absolute pressure at the bottom of a water column is given by the sum of atmospheric pressure \(p_{\text{atm}}\) and the hydrostatic pressure \(\rho_{w} g h\), where \(h\) is the water depth. |
| (d) 2 | Removing the object | Upon removal of the object, the water can now fill the space the ball occupied. This reduces the overall water depth \(h\). |
| (d) 4 | \(\boxed{p \text{ decreases}}\) | Thus, the hydrostatic pressure (\(\rho gh\)) decreases, due to the decrease in height of the water. Since hydrostatic pressure drops so will the absolute pressure, as given by the equation in (d) 1 |
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A fountain with an opening of radius \( 0.015 \) \( \text{m} \) shoots a stream of water vertically from ground level at \( 6.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \). The density of water is \( 1000 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \).
Two objects labeled K and L have equal mass but densities \( 0.95D_o \) and \( D_o \), respectively. Each of these objects floats after being thrown into a deep swimming pool. Which is true about the buoyant forces acting on these objects?
Wanda watches the fish in her fish tank and notices that the angelfish like to feed at the water’s surface, while the catfish feed \( 0.300 \) \( \text{m} \) below at the bottom of the tank. If the average density of the water in the tank is \( 1000\) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \), what is the absolute pressure on the catfish?
Ben’s favorite ride at the Barrel-O-Fun Amusement Park is the Flying Umbrella, which is lifted by a hydraulic jack. The operator activates the ride by applying a force of \( 72 \) \( \text{N} \) to a \( 3.0 \) \( \text{cm} \) wide cylindrical piston, which holds the \( 20,000 \) \( \text{N} \) ride off the ground. What is the diameter of the piston that holds the ride?
A spherical balloon has a radius of \(7.15\) \(\text{m}\) and is filled with helium. How large a cargo can it lift, assuming that the skin and structure of the balloon have a mass of \(930\) \(\text{kg}\)?
Take the density of helium and air to be \(0.18\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\) and \(1.24\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\), respectively.

A fluid flows through the two sections of cylindrical pipe shown in the figure. The narrow section of the pipe has radius \( R \) and the wide section has radius \( 2R \). What is the ratio of the fluid’s speed in the wide section of pipe to its speed in the narrow section of pipe, \( \dfrac{v_{\text{wide}}}{v_{\text{narrow}}} \)?
Suppose we wish to make a neutrally buoyant hollow sphere out of titanium (\(\rho = 4500 \text{kg/m}^3\)). If the sphere has an outer radius of \( 1.5 \) \( \text{m} \), what must be its inner radius?
A drinking fountain projects water at an initial angle of \( 50^ \circ \) above the horizontal, and the water reaches a maximum height of \( 0.150 \) \( \text{m} \) above the point of exit. Assume air resistance is negligible.
A small rock sits at the bottom of a cup filled with water. The upward force exerted by the water on the rock is \( F_0 \). The water is then poured out and replaced by an oil that is \( \frac{3}{4} \) as dense as water, and the rock again sits at the bottom of the cup, completely under the oil. Which of the following expressions correctly represents the magnitude of the upward force exerted by the oil on the rock?
A student designs an experiment to determine the density of an unknown fluid. The student pours the fluid into a graduated cylinder and attaches an object to a force probe. The object has a density greater than the density of the fluid. The student partially submerges the object into the fluid and records both the volume of fluid displaced in the graduated cylinder and the reading on the force probe. The student then submerges the object further and, at each trial, records the new values of displaced volume and force probe reading until the object is fully submerged. The student constructs a graph of force probe reading (vertical axis) as a function of volume of fluid displaced (horizontal axis). Which of the following statements correctly describes how a feature of this graph is related to the density of the fluid?
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| Kinematics | Forces |
|---|---|
| \(\Delta x = v_i t + \frac{1}{2} at^2\) | \(F = ma\) |
| \(v = v_i + at\) | \(F_g = \frac{G m_1 m_2}{r^2}\) |
| \(v^2 = v_i^2 + 2a \Delta x\) | \(f = \mu N\) |
| \(\Delta x = \frac{v_i + v}{2} t\) | \(F_s =-kx\) |
| \(v^2 = v_f^2 \,-\, 2a \Delta x\) |
| Circular Motion | Energy |
|---|---|
| \(F_c = \frac{mv^2}{r}\) | \(KE = \frac{1}{2} mv^2\) |
| \(a_c = \frac{v^2}{r}\) | \(PE = mgh\) |
| \(T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{r}{g}}\) | \(KE_i + PE_i = KE_f + PE_f\) |
| \(W = Fd \cos\theta\) |
| Momentum | Torque and Rotations |
|---|---|
| \(p = mv\) | \(\tau = r \cdot F \cdot \sin(\theta)\) |
| \(J = \Delta p\) | \(I = \sum mr^2\) |
| \(p_i = p_f\) | \(L = I \cdot \omega\) |
| Simple Harmonic Motion | Fluids |
|---|---|
| \(F = -kx\) | \(P = \frac{F}{A}\) |
| \(T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{l}{g}}\) | \(P_{\text{total}} = P_{\text{atm}} + \rho gh\) |
| \(T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{m}{k}}\) | \(Q = Av\) |
| \(x(t) = A \cos(\omega t + \phi)\) | \(F_b = \rho V g\) |
| \(a = -\omega^2 x\) | \(A_1v_1 = A_2v_2\) |
| Constant | Description |
|---|---|
| [katex]g[/katex] | Acceleration due to gravity, typically [katex]9.8 , \text{m/s}^2[/katex] on Earth’s surface |
| [katex]G[/katex] | Universal Gravitational Constant, [katex]6.674 \times 10^{-11} , \text{N} \cdot \text{m}^2/\text{kg}^2[/katex] |
| [katex]\mu_k[/katex] and [katex]\mu_s[/katex] | Coefficients of kinetic ([katex]\mu_k[/katex]) and static ([katex]\mu_s[/katex]) friction, dimensionless. Static friction ([katex]\mu_s[/katex]) is usually greater than kinetic friction ([katex]\mu_k[/katex]) as it resists the start of motion. |
| [katex]k[/katex] | Spring constant, in [katex]\text{N/m}[/katex] |
| [katex] M_E = 5.972 \times 10^{24} , \text{kg} [/katex] | Mass of the Earth |
| [katex] M_M = 7.348 \times 10^{22} , \text{kg} [/katex] | Mass of the Moon |
| [katex] M_M = 1.989 \times 10^{30} , \text{kg} [/katex] | Mass of the Sun |
| Variable | SI Unit |
|---|---|
| [katex]s[/katex] (Displacement) | [katex]\text{meters (m)}[/katex] |
| [katex]v[/katex] (Velocity) | [katex]\text{meters per second (m/s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]a[/katex] (Acceleration) | [katex]\text{meters per second squared (m/s}^2\text{)}[/katex] |
| [katex]t[/katex] (Time) | [katex]\text{seconds (s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]m[/katex] (Mass) | [katex]\text{kilograms (kg)}[/katex] |
| Variable | Derived SI Unit |
|---|---|
| [katex]F[/katex] (Force) | [katex]\text{newtons (N)}[/katex] |
| [katex]E[/katex], [katex]PE[/katex], [katex]KE[/katex] (Energy, Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy) | [katex]\text{joules (J)}[/katex] |
| [katex]P[/katex] (Power) | [katex]\text{watts (W)}[/katex] |
| [katex]p[/katex] (Momentum) | [katex]\text{kilogram meters per second (kgm/s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]\omega[/katex] (Angular Velocity) | [katex]\text{radians per second (rad/s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]\tau[/katex] (Torque) | [katex]\text{newton meters (Nm)}[/katex] |
| [katex]I[/katex] (Moment of Inertia) | [katex]\text{kilogram meter squared (kgm}^2\text{)}[/katex] |
| [katex]f[/katex] (Frequency) | [katex]\text{hertz (Hz)}[/katex] |
Metric Prefixes
Example of using unit analysis: Convert 5 kilometers to millimeters.
Start with the given measurement: [katex]\text{5 km}[/katex]
Use the conversion factors for kilometers to meters and meters to millimeters: [katex]\text{5 km} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{m}}{1 \, \text{km}} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{mm}}{1 \, \text{m}}[/katex]
Perform the multiplication: [katex]\text{5 km} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{m}}{1 \, \text{km}} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{mm}}{1 \, \text{m}} = 5 \times 10^3 \times 10^3 \, \text{mm}[/katex]
Simplify to get the final answer: [katex]\boxed{5 \times 10^6 \, \text{mm}}[/katex]
Prefix | Symbol | Power of Ten | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
Pico- | p | [katex]10^{-12}[/katex] | 0.000000000001 |
Nano- | n | [katex]10^{-9}[/katex] | 0.000000001 |
Micro- | µ | [katex]10^{-6}[/katex] | 0.000001 |
Milli- | m | [katex]10^{-3}[/katex] | 0.001 |
Centi- | c | [katex]10^{-2}[/katex] | 0.01 |
Deci- | d | [katex]10^{-1}[/katex] | 0.1 |
(Base unit) | – | [katex]10^{0}[/katex] | 1 |
Deca- or Deka- | da | [katex]10^{1}[/katex] | 10 |
Hecto- | h | [katex]10^{2}[/katex] | 100 |
Kilo- | k | [katex]10^{3}[/katex] | 1,000 |
Mega- | M | [katex]10^{6}[/katex] | 1,000,000 |
Giga- | G | [katex]10^{9}[/katex] | 1,000,000,000 |
Tera- | T | [katex]10^{12}[/katex] | 1,000,000,000,000 |
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