Reprise of a "Dense and Tense Story"
Abstract
Consider the following problem. Two uniform cubes have sides of length L. Cube 1 has volume mass density p1, while cube 2 has density p2>p1 Their average density, p= (p1 +p2)/2, is equal to that of an incompressible fluid filling a beaker. The two cubes are glued together and fully immersed in the fluid with the lighter cube 1 positioned directly above cube 2, such that the interface between them is at depth H. Suppose that the glue has a density equal to that of the fluid, so that the combination of blocks and glue is overall neutrally buoyant in the fluid. Denote by F the maximum tensile force that the glue can withstand before tearing apart. Under what conditions will the cubes break apart (resulting in cube 1 rising to the surface and cube 2 sinking to the bottom)?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA574986
Entities
People
- Carl E. Mungan
Organizations
- United States Naval Academy