TOPIC:

ID Code: F2-32
Purpose: Illustrate buoyancy and the orientation in which a long square bar floats in a very dramatic way.
Description: A long square bar floats in a bath of methyl alcohol, with its sides horizontal and vertical, as shown in the center photograph. If water is added to the bath until the tank is almost full, the bar will rotate so that the sides are diagonal, as shown in the photograph at the right, due to the effective decrease in the density of the bar relative to the bath.
Availability: Available

Here's a recent blog post with some simulations! datagenetics.com/blog/june22016/index.html