Float And Sink

^{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.]

• 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.