Brain Teasers
Ball Bearing Box
Science
Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.Science
Suppose you have an open topped box that is 5cm x 5cm x 5cm. (capacity: 125 cubic centimetres) Inside the box is a steel ball bearing that is 25 cubic centimetres in size. Next to the box is a two-liter pail filled with mercury. How many cubic centimetres of mercury would you have to pour into the box to completely submerge the ball bearing?
Answer
You couldn't. Mercury is so dense steel floats in it.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Yes that is true, but by putting 100 CCs in the box with bearing you can close the lid and completely submerge it. The cube would then be completely full.
Good one!
You could push it under
Blaze are you a cience wiz or something?!?!
^science
I want to know where pusandave got this imaginary "lid" that wasn't even in the problem.
I realy enjoyed this one
Aug 14, 2002
Nice...Very Nice... But Cathal...Push it under, feel the quicksilver diffuse through your skin.
If you push it under you run the risk of ending up like Jonny Tremain.
Surely the ball floats "on" the mercury rather than "in" it!
um he never said "push it under with your finger" you can use almost any object to push it under.
How about . . gluing the ball bearing to the bottom of the box?
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