A cork, say from a wine bottle, is held by a robotic clamp at the bottom of a bucket of water and released the moment the bucket is dropped off the side of a tall building. What will happen to the cork during the fall? Will it float to the top of the bucket normally, slower than normal, faster than normal, or not at all?

Assume that there is no air resistance to slow the bucket down.

When the bucket is stationary, the only forces acting on the cork are its weight, and the buoyancy force. The buoyancy force is proportional to the weight of liquid displaced.

When freefalling, it is as if the cork and the liquid both have no weight. Therefore the situation is equivalent to no forces acting on the cork, so it will stay where it is in relation to the bucket - at the bottom.

Posted by Helen on 2003-11-15 17:27:10