Rank the following from most to least for the percentage of its volume above the water line:
A. Basketball floating in saltwater
B. Basketball floating in glycerin
C. Basketball floating in gasoline
To rank these objects from most to least for the percentage of their volume above the water line, we need to understand the concept of buoyancy.
Buoyancy is the upward force exerted by a fluid on an object immersed in it. It depends on the density of the fluid and the volume of the object.
The fluid with the highest density will exert the greatest buoyant force, causing the object to float higher and expose a smaller portion of its volume above the water line.
The fluid with the lowest density will exert the lowest buoyant force, causing the object to float lower and expose a larger portion of its volume above the water line.
In this case, we are comparing the buoyancy of a basketball in different fluids. Let's analyze each case:
A. Basketball floating in saltwater:
Saltwater has a higher density compared to pure water due to the presence of dissolved salts. This increased density will provide a stronger buoyant force, causing the basketball to float higher in the saltwater. Therefore, the percentage of the basketball's volume above the water line will be the least among the options.
B. Basketball floating in glycerin:
Glycerin has a higher density than water but lower than saltwater. This intermediate density will result in a moderate buoyant force on the basketball. Thus, the basketball will float lower in glycerin compared to saltwater, exposing a larger fraction of its volume above the water line.
C. Basketball floating in gasoline:
Gasoline has a lower density compared to both saltwater and glycerin. As a result, the buoyant force on the basketball in gasoline will be the lowest among the three fluids. Consequently, the basketball will float lowest in gasoline, revealing the largest percentage of its volume above the water line.
Based on this analysis, the ranking from most to least for the percentage of its volume above the water line would be:
C. Basketball floating in gasoline
B. Basketball floating in glycerin
A. Basketball floating in saltwater
The liquid with the highest density will
have the largest percentage of its' volume above the water.
Find the density of each liquid and
compare them.