A cube of edge 15 cm is immersed completely in a rectangular vessel containing water. If the dimensions of the base of the vessel are 20 cm × 15 cm, find the rise in water level.
Answer: D
The immersed cube displaces its own volume of water, which spreads over the vessel's base.
\[ V_{\text{cube}} = 15^{3} = 3375 \text{ cm}^{3} \]
\[ \text{base area} = 20 \times 15 = 300 \text{ cm}^{2} \]
\[ \text{rise} = \frac{3375}{300} = 11.25 \text{ cm} \]
The cube's own 15 cm edge is not the rise: the water spreads over a base twice the cube's footprint, so it climbs less far.
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