Today Puzzle #587
Puzzle No. 587鈥� Friday 11 October
A 315 billion tonne iceberg has broken off Antartica. Given that ice has a density of 920 kg per cubic metre, how thick would the iceberg be if it had the area of Greater London, 1500 kilometres, and which tall building in London does this nearly match?
Today’s #PuzzleForToday has been set by Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, Director of The Royal Institution
Click here for the answer
The volume of ice is given by mass/density = 315e12 kg / 920 kgm-3 = 3.42e11 m3. The average thickness of ice is given by volume/area = 3.42e11 m3 / 1.5e9 m2 = 228m. There are several tall buildings in London. The ones closest in terms of roof height appear to be The Cheesegrater (225m) or Landmark Pinnacle (233m). 110 Bishopsgate is officially 230m but actually finishes roof height at 202m, with a 28m mast. Hopefully this helps one visualize the size of the iceberg.
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