Challenging Question that my Audience Cannot Answer
J. M. T. Thompson · The Physics Educator · 2023
In this brief article, I present the surprising, symmetry-breaking behavior of a homogeneous log of maple wood. The log is of square cross-section, and is placed to float in a tank of water. The straight symmetric floating state turns out to be unstable, and it immediately lolls over to an unexpected angle. This could explain why, when I was a young kid, my carefully made boats often did not float upright.