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Re: Pontoons

On Mon, 16 Aug 1999, Gregory Snyder wrote:

> 
> Was I completely asleep during  physics?
> I have convinced myself I am right.
> Any comments?
>
I think you're wrong...  For the water to enter the pontoon, it must
compress the air currently within the pontoon.  Now, obviously, the boat
exerts pressure on the water to displace it.  Say the boat is exerting 20
PSI.  Well, then, if there is a leak in one of the pontoons, water will
enter the pontoon(the air within which is at 0 psig), and raise the
pressure until there is equilibrium, i.e. bringing it up to 20 psig.  At
that point, the forces balance out and the water cannot compress the air
further.  NOW, for you to push that water out, you must bring the air in
the pontoon above 20 psig, thereby disrupting the equilibrium and blowing
the water out.  Of course, assuming there are no leaks in the pontoon, you
can leave it pressurized forever without adding more air(highly unlikely,
in a really good situation it'd keep for a month or two).  If you bring
the pressure back down to 0 psig, the water will come back in, and
compress the air to 20 psig.  If you open a hole in the top, the pontoon
will fill with water.  TTYL!


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Paul Anderson
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