Question

A wooden block contains some nails so that its density is exactly equal to that of water. If it is placed in a tank of water and released from rest when it is completely submerged, it will:_____.a. remain where it is released. b. rise to the surface. c. sink to the bottom.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is:

a) remain where it is released

Explanation:

The concept of density seeks to measure the weight of an object in relation to its size. It is the measure of how packed together the particles of that object are. An object placed in a liquid displaces a certain volume of the liquid, based on the relative density of the object and the liquid.

If an object is less dense than a liquid in which it is placed, it displaces a smaller volume of the liquid than its volume, hence only some part of the object will be seen to be under the liquid, the other part will float.

If an object is denser than the liquid in which it is placed, it displaces a larger volume of the liquid than its own volume, making the object to sink and is submerged, sometimes to the bottom of the liquid, but mostly below the point at which it was released.

Finally, if the density of an object and the liquid into which it is submerged is the same. the object's mass per unit volume is the same as the liquid's mass per unit volume, hence the weight and force created due to density will balance and cancel each other out hence making the object to remain where it was submerged.