Math Puzzles of the Month
Float and Sink
And now for something completely different. This month’s math puzzle is not a math puzzle; it’s a science puzzle that was suggested by 14-year-old Anita, who submitted it to Ask the Experts.
You are sitting in a rowboat on a pond with a curling stone in the boat. You throw the curling stone overboard. It sinks to the bottom of the pond.
[A curling stone is a 19-kg (42-lb) piece of granite. Find out more about curling.]
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- Does the boat now float higher in the water, lower, or at the same level?
- Has the water level of the pond risen, fallen, or remained the same?
After you've tried this for yourself, check our solution.
