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Ch 12: Fluid Mechanics
Chapter 12, Problem 12

A cube 5.0 cm on each side is made of a metal alloy. After you drill a cylindrical hole 2.0 cm in diameter all the way through and perpendicular to one face, you find that the cube weighs 6.30 N. (a) What is the density of this metal?

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1
Calculate the volume of the cube before the hole is drilled. Use the formula for the volume of a cube, V = s^3, where s is the side length of the cube.
Calculate the volume of the cylindrical hole drilled through the cube. Use the formula for the volume of a cylinder, V = \pi r^2 h, where r is the radius and h is the height of the cylinder.
Subtract the volume of the cylindrical hole from the volume of the cube to find the volume of the metal remaining in the cube.
Convert the weight of the cube from newtons to kilograms using the acceleration due to gravity (g = 9.8 m/s^2), since weight W = mg, where m is mass and g is gravity.
Calculate the density of the metal using the formula \rho = \frac{m}{V}, where \rho is the density, m is the mass, and V is the volume of the metal remaining in the cube.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Density

Density is defined as mass per unit volume and is a fundamental property of materials. It is calculated using the formula ρ = m/V, where ρ is density, m is mass, and V is volume. In this context, understanding density is crucial for determining how the mass of the cube changes after drilling the hole.
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Volume Calculation

To find the density of the metal cube, one must calculate its volume before and after drilling the cylindrical hole. The volume of a cube is given by V_cube = side³, while the volume of a cylinder is V_cylinder = πr²h. These calculations are essential to accurately determine the effective volume of the remaining material in the cube.
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Weight and Mass Relationship

Weight is the force exerted by gravity on an object and is related to mass through the equation W = mg, where W is weight, m is mass, and g is the acceleration due to gravity. In this problem, knowing the weight of the cube allows us to find its mass, which is necessary for calculating density after accounting for the volume removed by the cylindrical hole.
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Related Practice
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