person dropping pennies into a bottle with attached ring, water tank

Code Number: 1J11.30

Demo Title: Tipping Boat

Condition: Good

Principle: Center of Mass

Area of Study: Mechanics

Equipment:

Pennies, Bottle with attached ring, water tank.

Procedure:

Place some pennies in the bottle. Then place the bottle in the water tank and observe that it will float in an upright position. Start placing pennies into the ring at the top of the bottle and observe that when the center of gravity becomes too high the bottle will tip over.

References:

Andrew Davis Cahoon, "Water Bottle Stability", TPT, Vol. 61, #9, Dec. 2023, p. 785.
Robert Ehrlich, "D.2, Stability of a Floating Object", Turning the World Inside Out, p. 39.

Disclaimer

These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist. The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose. The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources. Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks. These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage. Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.

Instructional Resources and Lecture Demonstrations

1J11.30 - Tipping Boat

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