Gifted World Challenge #10 (and solution to #9)

Hello all. Welcome to the 10th of our Gifted World challenge series. Below the question, you will also find the solution and featured responses we received for Challenge number 9.

This week's challenge is a pretty simple question, that you can even experiment on at home!

Challenge #9

Post your answer here - https://forms.gle/9rzP2LFGfo8hyV9p6

You take a ping pong ball, immerse it in a bucket of water and release it.

Which of the following statements are correct?

1. The ball will rise up in the water only upto its floating position and never beyond the floating position.

2. The ball can rise up above it's floating position but can never break contact with the water surface.

3. The ball can jump out of the water into the air.

Post your answer here - https://forms.gle/9rzP2LFGfo8hyV9p6

Last day to submit answers is Sunday, 8 September. The 3 best answers (as judged by the Gifted World team) will be featured on our blog. Looking forward to some creative submissions.

This challenge has been given by Gifted World mentor Muralidhar.

Solution to Challenge #9

Challenge number 9 involved critically analysing a video forwarded on WhatsApp. Congratulations to Sreeram Sumesh Ponnath of Indian Public High School, Ras al Khaimah and Juana Jayan of Al Sabah Indian P.V.T School, Al Dhaid, UAE for their answers

The Whatsapp explanation states that - "Maybe the electro-charge in the battery exuded a strong magnetic field which was too much for the confined metallic cabin of the lift."

This doesn't make physical sense. A battery cannot generate a strong magnetic field on its own. Only currents cause a magnetic field.

What is far more likely to have happened is that it was a low quality battery with insufficient safety mechanisms inbuilt. That resulted in damage to the battery due to overcharging or poor usage, thus resulting in a fire. It coincidentally happened in an elevator, causing the fire to be much more severe than it would have been out in the open.

The video and faulty explanation has been forwarded to millions of people on WhatsApp, giving a wrong physical idea of how batteries work, and making more people fearful about electric bikes and batteries. Battery quality is a serious issue, with the majority of batteries sold even in the USA not meeting the safety standards set by the government.

Thank you all for your enthusiastic participation, and willingness to critically think about all the information that comes your way!