[net.physics] Floating a battleship ...

carlc@tektronix.UUCP (Carl Clawson) (12/12/84)

> > How is it that the water can hold up a ship which weighs
> > more than the water?                                             -dbell-

How is it that my shoes, which only weigh 2 pounds,
can support my body, which weighs approximately 190 pounds?

:-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(

jlg@lanl.ARPA (12/14/84)

A boat floats if its displacement times the density of water is greater
than the weight of the boat.  The displacement of a boat is the volume
of the boat that lies below the water line.  The ammount of water that
is outside the boat is irrelevant to this calculation.

chongo@nsc.UUCP (Landon C. Noll) (12/14/84)

 >How is it that my shoes, which only weigh 2 pounds,
 >can support my body, which weighs approximately 190 pounds?

How then can BOZO stand up in inflated shoes?  :-)

BTW, and for the record.  DBell meant his article to be a puzzle to be
solved and not a question for which he needed an answer.  The non-intutive
nature of his question is made obvious by the number of wrong answers
which have been posted.

chongo <> /\oo/\
-- 
    "Don't blame me, I voted for Mondale!"
				John Alton 85'