Water Displacement | water, shoes, class, exam story

My Physics course in collage seems to be a real boar. However, our professor is an attractive but stuffy woman. One class period, we were discussing weighing by water displacement. Four of us in class (all guys) were having trouble understanding some of the complexities of this method. The group of us had a conversation with our professor after the class. See looked at us firm and said, “I see that the four of you seem to be having trouble comprehending the concept”. She agreed to meet with us the next day however, the lab we conduct class in would not be available at the time we arranged so we met in a nearby classroom in the science wing.

The group of us waited out side the locked classroom for our professor. Moments later she showed up with her books, notes, and a clear 12”x 7” x 7” plastic bin, the kind from a test laboratory. She looked a bit distraught as she fumbled for the correct door key. It was the same intence look she seemed to have frequently on her pretty face. Most of use felt a bit intimidated with her and the way she taught the course. She then left the room with the empty bin and shortly returned with it filled with water and set it on the counter in the front of the room.

The professor than described the methods of water displacement. She commenced, “If you have an object at a certain weight to displace 1 pound of water, the water is marked to one level and the objects are set in until the water reaches the second mark and bla, bla, bla”. What a bore, I thought! Could this be a bit more boring? She then realized that she had nothing to use in the bin and rolled up her sleeves and put her hand in the tank. She was looking down toward the tank continuing to discuss all the procedures involved as my eyelids got heavy and then suddenly looked up at us.

“Okay, I see I have everybody’s attention,” she said. You all must know this for the upcoming exam! She also stated, “I have planned this special time for all of you and it seems that no one is interested in trying to learn this.” She looked frustrated and disoriented as if she was looking around the room for something to use in her presentation. She then looked down at the shoes on her feet. She was wearing a pair of stylish black pumps with a 4” chunky high heel. She then paused, shrugged her shoulders, gritted her teeth and gave a brief stare at the ceiling and said, “Well, I don’t have what I need for the presentation and I can’t seem to keep all of you from sleeping, will just have to make do.”

The next thing she did got our attention! She then moved the desk with the bin of water on top of it up to the white board on the front wall. She sat up on the desk and put her feet up next to the bin of water. The next thing she did was to dip her left foot into the water up to her ankle, submerging her entire foot with her shoe on!

She commented on the water level. She then proceeded with the right foot and the water level nearly reached the brim of the water bin.

After the demonstration, the professor explained the details to the water displacement. It all seemed to make sense.

“Now I see I have gotten all of your attention, you can expect this on a test,” she stated. We are all adults here but no one would have thought our stuffy instructor would potentially ruin her shoes to make a point. She then told us that we would have to remember the demonstration for the exam but not necessarily dunking shoes in a tank. With her wet shoes on, she then seemed to be playing footsy with the outside of the tank while taking questions!

We were all still in shock as we finished with remaining questions and hearing the squishing sound from her shoes as she walked out of the room and out of the building. It was funny how on the night of the exam our instructor had on the same pair of shoes used in the presentation. I wonder if she was trying to give the few of us the hint from our private discussion for the exam, as if we needed to remember!

I wonder if I don’t understand the next topic if I would be taught in some unusual way? In the past I would bet she has probably had done laboratory experiments on her shoes! I can’t wait for the next presentation!