In Mrs. Farstaff’s Science class, they are holding a contest. She has a glass bottle, and a little bronze ball, the size of which is the exact same as the hole in the bottle. Mrs. Farstaff is giving the student, who can put the ball in the bottle without breaking the glass or destroying the ball somehow, an iPOD.
In her room there is a microwave, petroleum jelly, a stove and a freezer.
Six of her seven students attempted this feat, but with no luck.
After the sixth student, the seventh, Geoff, comes up to the bottle and the ball. He thinks of using one of the tools in Mrs. Farstaff’s room at his disposal, and uses one (not the jelly as it was already proven not to work) and five hours later, gets the ball in the bottle and his free iPOD.
How did he do it?
Answer
He put the little ball in the freezer for five hours, and left the bottle outside. The bronze ball will contract in the cold of the freezer, but the opening of the bottle will be the same size as it was. This makes it easy for the ball to go into the bottle.