Physics 2013 JAMB Past Questions - Question 8: A piece of cork floats in a liquid, .What fraction of its volume will be immersed in the liquid

Correct Answer

C

Explanation

When a piece of cork floats in a liquid, it displaces an amount of liquid equal to its own weight. This is known as Archimedes' principle. Since cork is less dense than most liquids, it floats. The fraction of the cork's volume that will be immersed in the liquid can be determined by comparing the densities of the cork and the liquid.

Let's assume the density of the cork is ρ_cork and the density of the liquid is ρ_liquid. The fraction of the cork's volume immersed in the liquid can be calculated using the formula:

Fraction immersed = (ρ_cork - ρ_liquid) / ρ_cork

If the density of the cork is equal to the density of the liquid, then the fraction immersed would be 0, indicating that the cork is fully submerged. If the density of the cork is much less than the density of the liquid, then the fraction immersed would be close to 1, indicating that most of the cork's volume is above the liquid.