INTERNATIONAL

YOUNG
NATURALISTS
TOURNAMENT
2. Potatoes
Serbian team
Regional Center For Talented Youth

2nd problem, Potatoes

A classic board, as understood by carpenters, is a
rectangular parallelepiped with significantly varied
linear dimensions (length>width>thickness). They call
such a parallelepiped a bar if width and thickness are
comparable. If all three dimensions are comparable,
they call it a cube. When a homogenous board floats on
the water surface, its biggest face is horizontal. A board
knows perfectly this rule and always abides to it.
But for a bar the rule becomes ambiguous and its
behavior is determined by ratio of its density to water
density. For a cube, it is even more ambiguous in this
regard. Use potatoes for an experimental investigation
of floating bodies of different shape. Regulate the
density ratio through adding salt to water. Investigate
the different ways of how bodies of various shapes can
float.

Homogeneous rectangular body shape

placed in a container filled with liquid, can
sink, float in the liquid or rise to the surface.
Which of these three outcomes will occur,
depending on the thrust force and weight.
Thrust is directly proportional to the density
of the liquid, the volume submerged body
and the force of gravity.

If the thrust force is equal to the weight

of the body, the body will float in the
liquid.
If the thrust force is greater than the
weight of the body, the body will float on
the surface of the liquid.
If thrust force is less than the weight of
the body, the body will sink.
Changing the density of the liquid, we
change the thrust force.

Floating bodies of different shape and size are made

from potatoes.
The bodies were divided into four groups and marked
with different numbers.
The first group consists the bodies form of a cube of
different sizes (1,2,3).
The second group consists bodies, various
dimensions, shaped like cuboid, in which the length
is not substantially different from the width and
height (4,5,6).
In the third group are cuboid bodies, various
dimensions, in which the width and height are equal
(7,8,9).
The fourth group includes a cuboid bodies, of
different dimensions, in which the height is
substantially less than the width and the length of
body (10,11,12).

Each of these bodies, soaked in plain

water, will sink.
Adding salt, we have increased the
density of water.
After adding the salt, body floats on the
surface of the water, due to increased
thrust force.

Cube shaped bodies were, after adding

salt to the water, floating on the water
surface.
The same thing happened with the
bodies cuboid shape.

Cuboid shaped bodies floated on the

surface of the water, so the largest side
was parallel to the water surface.