Serway & Jewett — Fluid Mechanics: Problem 15

A wooden block of volume \(5.24 \times 10^{-4} \text{ m}^3\) floats in water, and a small steel object of mass \(m\) is placed on top of the block. When \(m = 0.310 \text{ kg}\), the system is in equilibrium and the top of the wooden block is at the level of the water. (a) What is the density of the wood? (b) What happens to the block when the steel object is replaced by an object whose mass is less than \(0.310 \text{ kg}\)? (c) What happens to the block when the steel object is replaced by an object whose mass is greater than \(0.310 \text{ kg}\)?