Floatation of cans of coke

bridgetown1

There are literally 1000s of mentions on the internet of the fact that a can (tin? which?) of diet coke will float in water but standard 'full fat' coke will sink, and the usual explanation is the sugar content of the ordinary coke increases it's density and so causes the can to sink.

Well, I have just tried this with 1 diet can and 3 'ordinary' cans and THEY ARE ALL FLOATING!!!

OK, the diet type is floating a bit higher, but they are all floating.

I live in West Cork and my water comes from from a 75m deep well. It is filtered but no other treatment given.

I believe in the U.S. that Fructose/Corn Syrup is used as the sweetener and here it is sucrose, if this is so could the different densities of fructose (1.69) as opposed to sucrose (1.58) explain this?

mathepac

bridgetown1 wrote: »

...
I believe in the U.S. that Fructose/Corn Syrup is used as the sweetener and here it is sucrose, if this is so could the different densities of fructose (1.69) as opposed to sucrose (1.58) explain this?

I believe all the "full fats" use corn syrup as the sweetener as the US needs to shift vast quantities of the single most subsidised agricultural crop on the planet (maize / Indian corn / sweet corn).

It's also used instead of fat to return flavour to "low-fat" or "diet" products.

bridgetown1

Well, can you come up with any other sensible explanation as to why my coke is floating?

mathepac

Carbon dioxide occupying space in the can and diluted / in suspension in the liquid? I know it's lighter than water and will only remain in the coke under pressure, but there must be enough to make the tin and its contents buoyant in water. I'm only guessing at this. What do you think?

bridgetown1

but all the websites say the ordinary coke sinks and the diet floats. why are mine different?

mathepac

But that's the interweb thing. I don't believe a word of it, even the stuff I write

bridgetown1

mathepac wrote: »

But that's the interweb thing. I don't believe a word of it, even the stuff I write

LAUGH!!!

bridgetown1

Just tried it in a sink in Cork city. The standard Coke can still floats. And it wasn't the same can! (This is the 4th can I have tried, and they all float)

Why? The interweb is heaving with sites all saying that the standard Coke can sinks. But all the ones I have tried SINK. What is going on?

im invisible

maybe they are trying to save money, not filling the cans, 317ml instead of 330, an extra can in every 24..

AngryHippie

im invisible wrote: »

maybe they are trying to save money, not filling the cans, 317ml instead of 330, an extra can in every 24..

I would well believe it.

Method to test:

place a bowl on a <1g sensitive scales, zero it,open the coke, measure the distance from the lip to the surface of the coke. pour in your can of coke, give it a good shake, and make sure you've got every drop out of it. record the mass.
place a new bowl on the scales, zero it, fill the empty coke can with water fill to the same level as the original coke can. Pour the water in the bowl, record the weight. Should = 375g for fresh water (give or take .5g for TDS in most places)

Compare ......Begin conspiracy theory.

Heinz did something similar with the beans back in the day, something equivalent to 10 beans per can x number of cans turned out to be enough money to safe the company's margins. Could be an urban legend, but I heard that AJF O'R masterminded that one

Bluefoam

Maybe there is a variation between the ingredients used to make Coke sold in Cork as opposed to Coke sold in North America... hence the conflicting results. I suggest you try all variations including North American Coke in Cork Water and Cork Water in Mexican Coke cans...

mathepac

Bluefoam wrote: »

... Cork Water in Mexican Coke cans...

Goldarned Messicans, Ah jest knowed they done it Paw! (extract from "George W Bush - The Best Bits")