Consider a rectangular ice floe 5.00 m high, 4.00 m long, and 3.00 m wide. a) What percentage of the ice floe is below the water line if it floats in sea water? b) What percentage of the ice floe is below the level of the liquid if it floats in mercury?

(a) 92 %

(b) 6.76 %

Explanation:

length, l = 4 m, height, h = 5 m, width, w = 3 m, density of water = 1000 kg/m^3

density of ice = 920 kg/m^3, density of mercury = 13600 kg/m^3

(a) Let v be the volume of ice below water surface.

By the principle of flotation

Buoyant force = weight of ice block

Volume immersed x density of water x g = Total volume of ice block x density

of ice x g

v x 1000 x g = V x 920 x g

v / V = 0.92

% of volume immersed in water = v/V x 100 = 0.92 x 100 = 92 %

(b) Let v be the volume of ice below the mercury.

By the principle of flotation

Buoyant force = weight of ice block

Volume immersed x density of mercury x g = Total volume of ice block x

density of ice x g

v x 13600 x g = V x 920 x g

v / V = 0.0676

% of volume immersed in water = v/V x 100 = 0.0676 x 100 = 6.76 %