An empty can is floating in a large beaker of water. The volume of water displaced in the beaker is equal to _____.
1. the buoyant force pushing up on the can
2. the weight of the empty can
3. the total volume of the empty can
4. the volume of the submerged part of the can
To determine the volume of water displaced in the beaker by the empty can, you need to understand Archimedes' principle. According to this principle, when an object is immersed in a fluid (such as water), it experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.
In this scenario, when the empty can is floating in the water, it is displacing some amount of water to make space for itself. The volume of water displaced in the beaker is therefore equal to the volume of the submerged part of the can.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4: the volume of the submerged part of the can.