PHYSICS NOWELLA

DENSITY (2)
1. Rocks are sometimes used along coasts to prevent erosion. If a rock needs to weigh
2,000 kilograms (about 2 tons) in order not to be shifted by waves, how big (what
volume) does it need to be? You are using basalt, which has a typical density of 3200
kg/m3
Solution:
In this problem you need a volume, so you will need to rearrange the density equation
to get volume.

By multiplying both sides by volume, we can get volume out of the numerator (the
bottom).
You can then divide both sides by density to get volume alone:

By substituting in the values listed above,

So the volume will be 0.625 m3
2. You have a sample of granite with density 2.8 g/cm3. The density of water is 1.0
g/cm3. What is the specific gravity of your granite?
Solution:
Specific gravity is the density of the substance divided by the density of water, so

Note that the units cancel, so this answer has no units. We say "the number is unitless."
BOUYANCY FORCE (1)
1. A frog in a hemispherical pod finds that he just floats without sinking into a sea of
blue-green ooze with density 1.35 g/cm3. If the pod has radius 6 cm and negligible
mass, what is the mass of the frog?
Solution:
wliquid = liquidVg.
The volume V of the displaced liquid is the volume of one half sphere,
V = 2r3/3 = 2(6 cm)3/3 = 452 cm3.
The magnitude of the weight of the object is wobject = mfrogg. (We are neglecting the
weight of the air-filled pod.)
liquidVg = mfrogg.
mfrog = 1.35 (g/cm3) 452 cm3 = 610 g.
PRESSURE (5)

1. A swimming pool of width 9.0 m and length 24.0 m is filled with water to a depth of 3.0 m.
Calculate pressure on the bottom of the pool due to the water.
Solution:

The pressure due to a column of fluid is calculated as the product of the height of the fluid
times the density of the fluid times the acceleration due to gravity. For water the density is d
3
= 1000 kg / m .
P=dhg
3
2
P = (1000 kg / m ) (3.0 m) (9.8 m / s )
2
3 2
P = 29400 kg m / m s
2
To simplify the units we cancel one m term in the m term in the numerator and one m term
3
in the m term in the denominator to get
2 2
P = 29400 kg m / s m
2
We know that 1N = 1 kg m / s so we can write
2
P = 29400 N / m = 29400 Pa
2.

The pressure of a gas in a cylinder with a movable piston is increased from 40.0 kPa to 60.0
kPa while the temperature of the gas is held constant. If the original volume of the gas in the
3

cylinder was 0.9 m determine the final volume of the gas after the pressure is increased.
Solution:

The temperature of the gas remains constant, so we can use Boyles law to solve for the
unknown volume.
P1 V1 = P2 V2
Divide both sides of the equation by P2 to get
V2 = (P1 V1 ) / P2
3
V2 = (40.0 kPa( (0.90 m ) / (60 .0 kPa)
3
V2 = 0.60 m
This conforms to our expectations that an increase in pressure should result in a
decrease in the volume.
3.

A pipe of cross sectional area 80 cm has a constriction where the area is reduced to 20 cm .
If the velocity of the fluid in the larger area is 0.3 m / s what is the velocity of the fluid in the
constricted region?

Solution:

The equation of continuity requires that v1 A1 = v2 A2

We divide both sides of the equation by A2 to obtain an expression for v2.
v2 = v1 A1 / A2
2
2
v2 = (0.3 m / s) (80 cm ) / (20 cm )
v2 = 1.2 m / s
Note that the velocity is greater in the constricted region of the pipe.

4. The pipe in the previous problem is horizontal. If the pressure in the larger area region is
measured as 20 kPa what is the pressure in the constricted region?
Solution:

We use Bernoulli's law to calculate the pressure.

2
P1 + (1/ 2) d g v1 + d g h1 = P2 + (1 / 2) d g v2+ d g h 2 2
The pipe is horizontal, so h1 = h2 , and we may cancel the third term on each side of the
equation.
2
P1 + (1 / 2) d g v1 = P2 + (1 / 2) d g v2
We subtract the second term on the right hand side of the equation from both sides of the
equation to obtain P2 as
2
P1 + (1 / 2) d g v1 - (1 / 2) d g v2= P2 2
Using the information supplied in the statement of the problem and the value of v 2
determined in Problem 9 we can solve the problem, but we must be careful to use proper
units. Thus the pressure must be expressed in Pascal, not kiloPascal.
3
3
2
2
3
2
P2 = (20 x 10 Pa) + (1 /2)(1000 kg / m )(9.8 m / s )(0.3 m/s) - (1 / 2)(1000 kg/m )(9.8 m/s )
2
(1.2 m / s)
P2 = (20,000 + 441 - 7056 ) Pa
P2 = 13,385 Pa = 13.385 KiloPascal
Note that the pressure is reduced in the constricted region, because the equation of
continuity required higher velocity there, and Bernoulli's principle for a level pipe states
that a region of higher velocity must have a lower pressure.
5.

The pressure of a gas contained in a cylinder with a movable piston is 300 Pa. The area of the
2

piston is 0.5 m . Calculate the force that is exerted on the piston.

Solution:

Pressure is defined as force per unit area or P = F / A

We multiply both sides of the equation by the area to solve for the force as
F=PA
2
F = (300 Pa) (0.5 m )
2
2
2
F = 150 (Pa) m = 150 (N / m ) m
F = 150 N