[net.physics] oops - here's the solution to the 2nd one

doug (08/13/82)

sorry about that - I just repeated the solution to the first one again!

The answer to the 2nd one is that the BOB goes down inside the can.

The bouyant force that the water exerts on the BOB = (the density of
water) X (the volume of the BOB) X (the acceleration due to gravity).

Since gravity is zero inside the free-falling container, so is the
bouyant force.  Therefore the only force exerted on the BOB is the
spring force, which pulls the BOB down of course.