A sunken steel ship has a mass of 500,000 kg. It is filled with water. In order to lift the ship, air bags are to be inflated inside the hull. What volume of air is needed if 7.8 is the specific gravity of steel?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The buoyant force needed to lift the ship is equal to the weight of the water displaced by the volume of air. The volume of air needed is the mass of the ship divided by the density of water (1000 kg/m³), which is 500,000 kg / 1000 kg/m³ = 500 m³. However, since the ship is filled with water, the effective volume needed is reduced by the volume of the steel, which is 500,000 kg / (7.8 * 1000 kg/m³) = 64.1 m³. Therefore, the volume of air needed is 500 m³ - 64.1 m³ = 436 m³.

A Sunken Steel Ship Has a Mass of 500,000 Kg