Visual physics puzzles and logic teasers generate immense engagement across social media platforms like Facebook. By challenging viewers to apply Archimedes’ Principle of volume displacement to everyday items, these brain teasers test both intuitive thinking and basic scientific reasoning.
A popular physics puzzle presents four identical glass tumblers filled to nearly the same visual height, each holding a different submerged object:
“Which glass has more water?”
Glass A: Scissors
Glass B: Paperclip
Glass C: Eraser
Glass D: Wristwatch
While all four glasses appear to hold the same total volume of contents (water plus object), the key to solving the riddle lies in understanding volume displacement.
In this guide, we break down Archimedes’ Principle step-by-step to reveal which glass contains the maximum actual volume of water.
Breakdown of Volume Displacement
According to Archimedes’ Principle, an object submerged in liquid displaces a volume of fluid equal to the physical volume of the object itself.
[ VOLUME DISPLACEMENT FORMULA ]
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[ TOTAL VISUAL VOLUME ] [ ACTUAL WATER VOLUME ]
• Total Level = Water + Object Volume • Actual Water = Total Level - Object Volume
• Equal apparent water line in all glasses • Smallest Object Volume = Most Actual Water
To find which glass contains the most actual water, we must evaluate the physical volume (space occupied) of each submerged item:
