Final answer:
Using the given data and the concept of terminal velocity, it would take 10 seconds for the steel ball to sink to the bottom of a 0.5m deep container of motor oil.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves calculating the time it would take for a steel ball to sink to the bottom of a container filled with motor oil, using given data about the ball's dimensions and the properties of the oil. To solve this, we can use the terminal velocity of the ball in the oil. Given the previous information, it is known that it takes 12 seconds for a ball to fall a distance of 0.60 meters. Since the ball achieves terminal speed quickly and maintains that speed, we can calculate the time to fall 0.5 meters by setting up a proportion based on the given data:
- Distance fallen in given problem: 0.60 m
- Time taken in given problem: 12 s
- Distance to fall in current problem: 0.5 m
- Time to fall in current problem (t): ?
Using the proportion (0.5 m / 0.60 m) = (t / 12 s), we can solve for t:
t = (0.5 m / 0.60 m) × 12 s
t = 10 seconds
Therefore, it would take 10 seconds for the steel ball to sink to the bottom of the container.