Fun with AI: ChatGPT-4 tells me: would the cork in a woman’s bustle be enough to keep her afloat? [UPDATED]

Fun with AI: ChatGPT-4 tells me: would the cork in a woman’s bustle be enough to keep her afloat?

I’ve been having fun chatting with the text-generating artificial intelligence ChatGPT. I’m very aware of the controversies. This next one shows a way it could help an author, by assisting with a research question.

I was told about a story in which a woman fell into the water, but the cork in her bustle kept her afloat so she could be rescued.

I wondered: was that feasible? I didn’t know a whole lot about bustles & certainly not about how much cork they had and if it could float someone. So, I asked! I’ll reproduce our conversation below. To make it easier to read, ChatGPT’s contributions will be in italics.

Bufo: Oh, new topic: would the cork in a woman’s bustle be enough to keep her afloat if she fell overboard, saving her from drowning (assuming she was rescued)?

ChatGPT: A woman’s bustle was a framework used in the late 19th century to support the fullness of women’s dresses at the back. They were typically made from materials like steel, horsehair, or crinoline, but cork bustles were also an option.

Cork is a lightweight and buoyant material, but the amount of cork used in a bustle is likely insufficient to keep a person afloat in water. While it might provide some level of buoyancy, it would not be enough to fully support a person’s body weight, especially considering the weight of the wet clothing.

In summary, a cork bustle might provide a small amount of buoyancy but would not be sufficient to save a woman from drowning if she fell overboard. It would still be crucial for her to receive assistance from others or utilize proper lifesaving devices, such as a life jacket.

Bufo: Great! Myth busted…thanks!

ChatGPT: You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help clarify that for you. If you have any more questions or need assistance with anything else, feel free to ask. I’m here to help!

Bufo: I’m curious: how much cork would it take to keep a 150 pound person afloat?

ChatGPT: To determine how much cork would be needed to keep a 150-pound person afloat, we can use the principle of buoyancy. Buoyancy is the upward force that opposes the weight of an object immersed in a fluid (in this case, water). For a person to float, the buoyant force must be equal to or greater than their weight.

Cork’s buoyancy comes from its low density. The density of cork is approximately 240 kg/m³ (15 lb/ft³). The density of fresh water is about 1000 kg/m³ (62.4 lb/ft³).

Using the buoyancy equation, we can calculate the volume of cork required to support a 150-pound person:

Buoyant force = Weight of displaced water = Density of water * Volume of water displaced * Acceleration due to gravity

Let’s assume the person weighs 150 pounds (68 kg) and use the standard acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.81 m/s².

First, we’ll calculate the weight of the water displaced:

Weight of displaced water = Weight of person = 68 kg * 9.81 m/s² ≈ 667 N (Newtons)

Next, we’ll find the volume of water displaced:

Volume of water displaced = Weight of

Bufo: This is amazing! Please keep going from where you left off.

ChatGPT: I apologize for the abrupt ending in my previous response. Let’s continue from where we left off.

We previously calculated the weight of the displaced water to be approximately 667 N (Newtons). Now, we’ll find the volume of water displaced:

Volume of water displaced = Weight of displaced water / (Density of water * Acceleration due to gravity) Volume of water displaced = 667 N / (1000 kg/m³ * 9.81 m/s²) ≈ 0.068 m³

Now we know the volume of water displaced, we can find the equivalent volume of cork needed to provide the same buoyant force:

Volume of cork = Volume of water displaced * (Density of water / Density of cork) Volume of cork = 0.068 m³ * (1000 kg/m³ / 240 kg/m³) ≈ 0.283 m³

So, to keep a 150-pound person afloat, you would need approximately 0.283 cubic meters (10 cubic feet) of cork. Keep in mind that this calculation assumes ideal conditions and doesn’t account for factors like water turbulence or the distribution of the cork around the person. It’s always best to use a proper life jacket or flotation device for safety in water.

Bufo: Good! Could you describe the volume of cork you calculated in terms of household items? Like how many full size refrigerators it would be?

ChatGPT: Certainly! To give you an idea of how much volume 0.283 cubic meters (10 cubic feet) of cork would take up, let’s compare it to the volume of a common household item like a full-size refrigerator.

A typical full-size refrigerator has a total volume of about 18 to 25 cubic feet (0.51 to 0.71 cubic meters). Let’s use the lower end of this range, 18 cubic feet (0.51 cubic meters), as an example.

Now, let’s determine the proportion of the refrigerator’s volume that the cork would occupy:

Proportion of refrigerator’s volume = Volume of cork / Volume of refrigerator Proportion of refrigerator’s volume = 0.283 m³ / 0.51 m³ ≈ 0.555

The volume of cork required to keep a 150-pound person afloat (0.283 cubic meters or 10 cubic feet) would occupy approximately 55.5% of the volume of an 18-cubic-foot refrigerator.

Please note that this is just a rough comparison to give you a sense of the volume, as refrigerators come in various sizes and shapes.

Bufo: I have a clear picture now, thanks!

ChatGPT: You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help you visualize the volume of cork needed. If you have any more questions or need assistance with anything else, please feel free to ask. I’m here to help!

UPDATE: one of my readers questioned this calculation. So, with permission, I brought those concerns to ChatGPT. Here is that exchange:

Bufo:A physicist looked at this article and had a couple of points: Did you account for the natural bouyancy of a person? Wouldn’t that mean less cork was needed than your calculation? Apparently, Edgar Allan Poe had suggested that was the case. Second, they said, “it decided it needed to get a WEIGHT of cork equal to 0.068m^3 of water, instead of a VOLUME.”

ChatGPT: You are correct, and I appreciate the feedback from the physicist. My previous response didn’t account for the natural buoyancy of a person, which indeed would reduce the amount of cork needed to keep them afloat. Let’s revisit the calculations to account for these factors.

The human body is made up mostly of water, and the average density of the human body is slightly less than that of water, at approximately 985 kg/m³. This means that a person will already have some natural buoyancy in water, so we need to calculate the additional buoyancy provided by the cork.

First, we’ll find the volume of the person:

Volume of person = Weight of person / Density of person Volume of person = 68 kg / 985 kg/m³ ≈ 0.069 m³

Now, we’ll calculate the volume of water that the person displaces:

Volume of water displaced = Volume of person = 0.069 m³

To find the additional buoyancy required, we need to determine the volume difference between the water displaced by the person and the person themselves:

Volume difference = Volume of water displaced – Volume of person Volume difference = 0.069 m³ – 0.069 m³ = 0 m³

Since the volume difference is zero, the person is neutrally buoyant in water, meaning they neither sink nor float. To keep them afloat, we need to add some cork. The additional buoyancy provided by the cork will make them positively

Bufo: I appreciate you responding! I think your answer may have gotten cut off, though…could you continue from where you left off?

ChatGPT: I apologize for the abrupt ending in my previous response. Let’s continue from where we left off.

To determine the amount of cork needed, we first need to decide how much additional buoyancy we want to provide. Let’s assume we want the person to float with 10% of their body weight above the water. In this case, the additional buoyancy needed would be 0.1 * 150 pounds ≈ 15 pounds (6.8 kg).

Now we can calculate the volume of cork required to provide this additional buoyancy:

Additional buoyant force = 6.8 kg * 9.81 m/s² ≈ 66.7 N

Volume of water to be displaced by cork = Additional buoyant force / (Density of water * Acceleration due to gravity) Volume of water to be displaced by cork = 66.7 N / (1000 kg/m³ * 9.81 m/s²) ≈ 0.0068 m³

Now we can find the volume of

Bufo: I think you got cut off again…

ChatGPT: Apologies once again for the abrupt ending. Let’s complete the calculation:

Now we can find the volume of cork needed to displace the required volume of water:

Volume of cork = Volume of water to be displaced by cork * (Density of water / Density of cork) Volume of cork = 0.0068 m³ * (1000 kg/m³ / 240 kg/m³) ≈ 0.0283 m³

So, to keep a 150-pound person afloat, considering their natural buoyancy and aiming to keep 10% of their body weight above water, you would need approximately 0.0283 cubic meters (1 cubic foot) of cork.

Please note that this calculation assumes ideal conditions and doesn’t account for factors like water turbulence or the distribution of the cork around the person. It’s always best to use a proper life jacket or flotation device for safety in water.

That was fun! Was all that math and sciency stuff right? I dunno. If you do, or you have other comments, feel free to let me know! You can reply to this post or, and this is probably better, reach out to me on Twitter:

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