A steel block weighing 500 lbs./226.7kg in air and displacing 2 cubic feet of water will weigh ______ in salt water.

To determine the weight of the steel block in salt water, we first need to understand how buoyancy works. When an object is submerged in a fluid, it experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces. The weight of the object in the fluid can be calculated by subtracting the buoyant force from its true weight in air.

In this case, the steel block weighs 500 lbs. in air and displaces 2 cubic feet of water. First, we calculate the buoyant force exerted by the water. The weight of the water displaced can be found using the density of fresh water, which is approximately 62.4 lbs. per cubic foot. Thus, the weight of the displaced water is:

Weight of water displaced = Volume × Density = 2 cubic feet × 62.4 lbs/cubic foot = 124.8 lbs.

Next, to find the weight of the steel block in salt water, we consider that salt water has a higher density (approximately 64 lbs. per cubic foot). However, since the problem doesn't require us to subtract the different buoyant forces between fresh and salt water, we can stick with the original calculation for fresh water displacement but adjust our expectations for