A solid metal cube is suspended by a light string so that it is completely submerged and at rest in a tank of industrial oil. The cube’s edge length is 0.25m and the metal’s density is 7.80×103kgm−3. The oil’s density is 9.00×102kgm−3. Take g=9.80ms−2.
(a) Calculate the magnitude of the buoyant force exerted on the cube by the oil.
(b) Determine the tension in the string while the cube remains fully submerged and motionless.
(c) Suppose the string suddenly snaps. Calculate the initial (instantaneous) acceleration of the cube immediately after the string breaks, ignoring any viscous drag.