[extropy-chat] akerue

[Brian Lee]

Surface area should not affect water displacement. If both the crown and the 
lump were pure gold, it wouldn't matter the shape. I think it's more a 
matter of density and mass or something. Surface area comes into affect when 
dissolving solids into liquids but this wouldn't happen.

As for the air bubbles, I hope that Archimedes presented the king with some 
sort of margin of error (after he calmed down of course).

BAL

>From: "Spike" <spike66 at comcast.net>
>To: "'ExI chat list'" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
>Subject: [extropy-chat] akerue
>Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 23:39:14 -0800
>
>
>King Heiron asked Archimedes if he could determine if
>his new crown were pure gold.  While bathing, he realized
>that the water he displaced would have the same mass as
>his body; therefore, he could measure the water displaced
>by the crown against that displaced by an equal amount
>of gold, determined that the king had indeed been
>defrauded by his jeweler, streaked, shouting eureka!
>and you know the story.
>
>But it occurred to me that a number of small, nearly invisible
>air bubbles may have adhered to the irregular surfaces of
>the crown, plus it likely had greater surface area than the
>pure lump of gold, thus making the crown displace more water
>than it would otherwise.  Archimedes might have been
>responsible for getting a possibly honest man executed.
>
>Akerue!
>
>spike
>
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