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On Sink or Swim: Week 3, Assignment #2
This is a clean kitchen sponge floating on water inside a rectangular glass container. Upon placing the sponge in water, the yellow portion of the sponge immediately took on water and raised the overall water level. Yet, the green portion of the sponge remains just at or slightly above water level. After several minutes of observation, the sponge remains floating. A quick adjustment was made to see how the sponge and water would react by forcing the sponge to submerge under water. The sponge floats back up and the green portion of the sponge stays on or above water level.
There are two applicable principles to explain why a sponge floats on water. First, the density of the object determines whether it sinks or floats. A sponge contains numerous pores and channels allowing the water to circulate through them. If the density of the water is greater than the density of the object, then the object will float. The porous nature of sponge also means the overall water level in the container is generally imperceptible. Since water is allowed to flow through the sponge, the lack of solidity also means the sponge weighs less than the overall volume of water, thereby allowing it to float. Essentially, the water environment remains unchanged and unaffected regardless if the sponge is floating or submerged, as the bond of water molecules outweighs the density of the sponge.
Second, the principle of cohesion and adhesion also explains why a sponge floats. First and foremost, water molecules are highly cohesive and prefers to bond to each other. The cohesive forces of a sponge are relatively weak to other objects such as a rubber ducky or a paper clip because those objects are less porous. Therefore, a sponge will not have a high water surface tension and will take on water internally much faster than other solid objects. Despite a sponge cannot resist external forces and take on water, its lack of volume keep the sponge afloat.
When an object is solid, the density of the object determines if it floats or sinks. When an object is not solid and does not promote high water tension, the volume of the object relative to the volume of water determines if it floats or sinks.
On Sink or Swim: Week 3, Assignment #2
This is a clean kitchen sponge floating on water inside a rectangular glass container. Upon placing the sponge in water, the yellow portion of the sponge immediately took on water and raised the overall water level. Yet, the green portion of the sponge remains just at or slightly above water level. After several minutes of observation, the sponge remains floating. A quick adjustment was made to see how the sponge and water would react by forcing the sponge to submerge under water. The sponge floats back up and the green portion of the sponge stays on or above water level.
There are two applicable principles to explain why a sponge floats on water. First, the density of the object determines whether it sinks or floats. A sponge contains numerous pores and channels allowing the water to circulate through them. If the density of the water is greater than the density of the object, then the object will float. The porous nature of sponge also means the overall water level in the container is generally imperceptible. Since water is allowed to flow through the sponge, the lack of solidity also means the sponge weighs less than the overall volume of water, thereby allowing it to float. Essentially, the water environment remains unchanged and unaffected regardless if the sponge is floating or submerged, as the bond of water molecules outweighs the density of the sponge.
Second, the principle of cohesion and adhesion also explains why a sponge floats. First and foremost, water molecules are highly cohesive and prefers to bond to each other. The cohesive forces of a sponge are relatively weak to other objects such as a rubber ducky or a paper clip because those objects are less porous. Therefore, a sponge will not have a high water surface tension and will take on water internally much faster than other solid objects. Despite a sponge cannot resist external forces and take on water, its lack of volume keep the sponge afloat.
When an object is solid, the density of the object determines if it floats or sinks. When an object is not solid and does not promote high water tension, the volume of the object relative to the volume of water determines if it floats or sinks.