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It happened in Monterey, a long time ago...well actually over this last few months. Apparently the Bermuda Triangle enigma is thought to have been caused by a manifestation of Archimedes principle. In order for something to float, the density of the liquid has to be greater than the density of the object. Thus, if you can lower the density of the liquid, say by mixing enough bubbles in it, an object floating on the surface should sink. In the area of the Bermuda Triangle methane gas is thought be escaping from the seabed. At the Naval Postgtraduate School, one man was not convinced. He said that ascending bubbles of gas often carry currents of water up with them exerting an upward force on the floating object, perhaps sufficient to keep it afloat. He and his colleagues have been testing the hypothesis. They filled a 4-litre glass container with water, fed air in at the bottom at varying speeds. Then they placed on the surface steel balls filled with varying amounts of water to see how easily they would sink. A partially filled ball that just floated on the water with no bubbles immediately sank when the bubbles were started. So the hypotheses appeared to have been proved. At the US Naval War College, Rhode Island, a researcher has proposed building buoyancy bombs that would collect bubbles of methane gas from the seabed then be transported below a target ship. The release of the methane will reduce the buoyancy of the ship and could sink it…well, in principle. I must confess I've partially proved the theory myself. I started with a full bottle of Veuve Cliquot, and introduced the bubbles gradually and decorously, glass by glass into the stomach ― I preferred this to inserting them from the bottom and, low and behold, I found myself sinking, slowly at first then speeding up. After three glasses or so, I had sunk, well and truly relaxed into my recliner cogitating how wonderful all this science is. Copyright © 2005 L A Rogers
Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com
Dr Len Rogers is Professor of international business at International School of Management (Paris, New York, Tokyo, Barcelona) and director of Computer Resources International SA Luxembourg. His address is len.rogers@pandora.be and his website www.lenrogers.com/ (currently being reconstructed and updated).
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