Question

A 12.5 cm tall soft drink can has a mass of 16.9 g and contains 362 g of soda when full. Assuming the can is symmetric, its center of mass is obviously 6.25 cm above its base when full and when empty.

Where is its center of mass when half full?

Answer 1

The physics problem looks at the center of mass for a half-full soft drink can and involves calculating a weighted average based on the separate masses of the can and remaining soda.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question regarding the center of mass of a half-full soft drink can is a physics problem related to the concept of mass distribution within an object. To find the center of mass of the can when it is half full, we must consider the mass distribution of both the can and the soda separately, because the soda level changes the overall center of mass of the system.

The can itself has a fixed center of mass at its geometric center, 6.25 cm above the base. When half of the soda has been removed, the remaining soda's center of mass will be one-quarter of the can's height above the base, or 3.125 cm. By calculating a weighted average of the positions of the two centers of mass (the empty can and the remaining soda), taking into account their respective masses, we can find the new center of mass for the half-full can.