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Construct a floating bowl-type water clock. Take a bowl, make a small hole at its bottom, and float it in a larger container of water. Water slowly enters through the hole until the bowl sinks. Experiment by using bowls of different sizes and making holes of different sizes, so that the time the bowl takes to sink can be close to 24 minutes.
Show Answer
A floating bowl with a hole sinks after a fixed time, so it can measure a set interval.
Key Points
- A bigger hole lets water in faster, so the bowl sinks sooner.
- A larger bowl needs more water, so it takes longer to sink.
- By adjusting the bowl size and hole size, the sinking time can be tuned close to 24 minutes.
- Because the sinking time stays steady, it can be used to measure a fixed interval of time.
- Ancient water clocks worked on exactly this idea.
A steady, repeatable sinking time turns the floating bowl into a simple water clock.
