Activity 5.4 Calculating Properties of Solids
Introduction
Have you ever stopped to think why it is that you are able to float in water? Thereason has to do with the concept of buoyancy. The volume of water that your bodydisplaces has weight. The weight of the displaced water pushes upward on you,while the weight of your body pushes down. If the weight of the displaced waterpushing upward is greater than your weight, then you will rise out of the water to apoint where equilibrium has been achieved. This means that the weight of your bodythat is submerged in the water, let’s say from your shoulders down, is equal to theweight of the volume of water that your body is displacing. Another way to explainthis is to look at density. If your average weight density, or the average amount ofweight per unit volume of your body, is less than the weight density of the water,then you will float. The word average is used because skin, bone, hair, and muscletissue all have different weight densities. If you were to drop a coin in the water, youwould notice that it sinks. The weight density of metal is higher than the weightdensity of water; therefore, the volume of water that is displaced by the coin cannotweigh as much as the coin itself.Engineers design vessels to travel on and under the surface of the water. Typically,these vessels are comprised mostly of metal. How is it that these vessels do not sinkstraight to the bottom of the sea floor? The answer again deals with weight, averagedensity, and volume. If you were to fill a glass with water and place it in a tub full ofwater, the glass would sink. Like metal, glass has a weight density that is greaterthan water. If you were to place the same glass in a tub full of water, but with noliquid in the glass, it would float. In this case, the majority of the volume of the spacethat is taken up by the glass is the air on the inside of the glass, which is significantlyless dense than water. Therefore, the average weight density of the glass/air is lessthan the weight density of water. This is the reason why ships are able to float. Themajority of the volume enclosed by a ship is air. This example is only oneengineering application of physics and the mathematics associated with theproperties of solids.
Have you ever stopped to think why it is that you are able to float in water? Thereason has to do with the concept of buoyancy. The volume of water that your bodydisplaces has weight. The weight of the displaced water pushes upward on you,while the weight of your body pushes down. If the weight of the displaced waterpushing upward is greater than your weight, then you will rise out of the water to apoint where equilibrium has been achieved. This means that the weight of your bodythat is submerged in the water, let’s say from your shoulders down, is equal to theweight of the volume of water that your body is displacing. Another way to explainthis is to look at density. If your average weight density, or the average amount ofweight per unit volume of your body, is less than the weight density of the water,then you will float. The word average is used because skin, bone, hair, and muscletissue all have different weight densities. If you were to drop a coin in the water, youwould notice that it sinks. The weight density of metal is higher than the weightdensity of water; therefore, the volume of water that is displaced by the coin cannotweigh as much as the coin itself.Engineers design vessels to travel on and under the surface of the water. Typically,these vessels are comprised mostly of metal. How is it that these vessels do not sinkstraight to the bottom of the sea floor? The answer again deals with weight, averagedensity, and volume. If you were to fill a glass with water and place it in a tub full ofwater, the glass would sink. Like metal, glass has a weight density that is greaterthan water. If you were to place the same glass in a tub full of water, but with noliquid in the glass, it would float. In this case, the majority of the volume of the spacethat is taken up by the glass is the air on the inside of the glass, which is significantlyless dense than water. Therefore, the average weight density of the glass/air is lessthan the weight density of water. This is the reason why ships are able to float. Themajority of the volume enclosed by a ship is air. This example is only oneengineering application of physics and the mathematics associated with theproperties of solids.
Conclusion
1. What is the difference between area and volume? area has to do within and volume is all
2. What is density?density is the amount of mass in a object
3. What is a “physical” property? Give examples of physical properties.
odor boiling point visclosing and temperature