Ek physics #557

[jissho]

Can a battleship float in a swimming pool? (Assume the battleship can fit in the pool...)

I managed to narrow down questions to two choices

A. Yes, but only if the weight of the water remaining in the pool is as great as the weight of the battleship

B. Yes, but only if the pool is capable of holding a mass of water as great as the mass of the battleship when the ship is not in the pool.

The correct answer is B.

Obviously this question is based upon Archimedes' principle which states that any object completely or partially immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid.

Whether or not the object floats depends on the weight of fluid displaced compared to the weight the object.

Aren't these two answer choices essentially the same thing? If not what is the reasoning to differentiate between the two.

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[sdsoccer]

a says weight of water remaining in the pool which has nothing to do with buoyant force

buoyant force is pVg

and in this case it would depend on the Volume of water DISPLACED by the battleship and not just water remaining in the pool

 

[ridethecliche]

They are different because B is implying that water is displaced.