Answer to Question #86393 in Physics for jagvir dhatt

Question

A wooden raft, 5-feet long and 4 feet wide, floats in water. When a person steps on the raft, it sinks 1.5 inches deeper into the water. Calculate the person's weight. The density of water: 62.4lb/ft3

Answer 1

We'll assume the mass of the person is equal to mass of the water that was displaced by the person entering the raft.

$m = {\rho}V = {\rho}xyz = 62.4\frac{\text{lb}}{\text{ft}^3}~*~5~\text{ft}~*~4~\text{ft}~*~1.5~*\frac{1}{12}~\text{ft} = 156~\text{lb}.$