HELP NOW

The volume will be written on the can.(In ml or cc they are the same thing)
The weight will therefore depend on the density of what you fill it with. Google should be able to tell you the density of various liquids and the most dense. It is impractical to fill it with a solid but just for arguments sake, you could theoretically fill it with the most dense substance you (or google) can find. Osmium is pretty dense, you can look up it's density (about 22.6 grams per cubic centimeter) and work out how much a can full would weigh.

Also work out the weight when filled with water in case your teacher thinks you are being a smart arse trying to fill a can with Osmium

Ooooh, of course Mercury is V dense and a liquid.. yeah fill it with Mercury
Del

I think the answer is the maximal load put on an empty can accept without wall buckling. This can be computed knowing the diameter, the wall thickness and the free wall height between the caps.

Fill it with concrete and then it can hold up quite a bit of weight.

Please refrain from insulting other users. "Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." ~Jesse Jackson

Why, whatever do you mean?

LOL!

Depends on the meaning of 'empty'. If you drain out the soda, it's still filled with air. If that's the definition of 'empty', then just pile some weights on top of it until it crushes. Then keep on piling on weights until the soda can ceases to have a separate existence from its surroundings.

Oh, you think the OP means how much weight can it support????
We have a perfectly good language, it's a shame some people can't use it betterer.
If they mean support, then just keep adding bricks until it crushes, Weigh one brick and do the sums.
Ambiguous? I don't know the meaning of the word
Del

Funny, isn't it?

Over the years I've taught at the college level on a part-time basis. No matter how carefully I went over the questions I wrote for a test, there would always be a student or two who managed to find alternate interpretations for some of the questions. Maddening, sometimes, but part of the job.

I was that student.

milo

That's one of the problems with having a superior intellect.

Recognizing and challenging assumptions.

No smiley faces from me, i am using safari. But i'd give you one if i could...

Milo

That's what I was getting at with my first response.

In my youth when I was more flexible (and lighter), I could balance on one foot atop an empty can and have it support my weight. Next I could slowly squat down (still balancing) and lightly and quickly tap opposite sides of the can with my left and right index fingers. The can would collapse under my weight.

... if only YouTube had been around back then, huh?

Yes, I could really impress my kids.

We used to do that with beer cans when I was in the Army. We could tell we had (more than) enough to drink when we either couldn't balance on top of the cans, or keep from getting our index fingers severely lacerated!

Nice catch on the word game - GA

Thanks,

Funny thing is, I was half way through a reply telling them to fill it with platinum, when it struck me.

I think the OP needs to ask their english teacher to help them frame a proper question.

Diet or regular soda can?

If you fill it with enough helium, there's no limit to what it can hold (up)!

(It's a trick question)!

Mike rho Trick homework.....thats what I thought, but i gave LynLynch a GA for being right.... first.

Yeh, but I'm being TOTALLY facetious, including a reference to this thread !

It ought to be possible for two of them to support the weight of a 6-year-old child if the cans are placed on end and the child stands on them carefully.

If the project is due tomorrow, then the time for experimentation is now. Get on with it, quick!