A piece of iron is glued to the top of a block of wood. When the block is placed in a bucket of water with the iron on top, the block floats. The block is now turned over so that the iron is submerged beneath the wood. Does the block float or sink? Does the water level in the bucket rise, drop, or stay the same? Explain.
Solution 18DQ Step 1 of 2: According to archimedes principle, when a body is completely or partially immersed in a fluid, the fluid exerts an upward force on the body equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body. Hence, the wood and metal composite object displaces its own weight of water when floating, and it does not matter if the heaviest and densest component is on the top, the bottom or the side, or even completely inside the lighter component.
