Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site hao.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!hao!hull From: hull@hao.UUCP (Howard Hull) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: Re: Floating a battleship in a gallon of water: HOW. Message-ID: <1297@hao.UUCP> Date: Sun, 9-Dec-84 17:24:46 EST Article-I.D.: hao.1297 Posted: Sun Dec 9 17:24:46 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Dec-84 03:21:30 EST References: <27@daisy.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO Lines: 23 > How is it that the water can hold up a ship which weighs > more than the water? -dbell- As I stated earlier, it probably can't. However if you are willing to warp your definition of which water molecules are "holding up the ship" and if you will also allow me a little poetic license, lookie here: || /||\ 50,000 tons of water here ------------------ 50,000 tons of water here |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 100,000 tons |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\ /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/\~~\ /~~/\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| ----------------------/ \~~\ SHIP /~~/ \--------------------- \~~\ /~~/ \~~\ /~~/ \~~\ /~~/ \~~\ /~~/ \~~\--/~~/ \~~~~~~/<-- 8 pounds of water in trough. \~~~~/ \--/ Howard Hull {ucbvax!hplabs | allegra!nbires | harpo!seismo } !hao!hull