A boat is floating in a small pond. The boat then sinks resting on the bottom, but the pond is so shallow that part of the boat is not submerged. What happens to the level of the pond?
A) It increases.
B) It decreases.
C) It stays the same.
D) In some cases it would decrease, in others it would stay the same.
E) In some cases it would increase, in others it would stay the same.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the boat is floating, it displaces a volume of water equal to its weight. When it sinks, it displaces only the volume of the submerged part, which is less than the volume displaced when it was floating if part of the boat is not submerged. Therefore, the water level decreases.

A Boat Is Floating in a Small Pond