Archimedes’ principle states that a body immersed or partially immersed in water loses an amount of weight that is equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.
Whether or not an object can float depends on the density (weight ÷ volume) of both the object and the water.
If the density of the object is less than that of water, the object will sink into the water only to the point where the weight of displaced water equals the weight of the object. A one foot wooden cube, for example, might weigh 50 pounds.
In water, the submerged part of the cube will displace a volume of water weighing 50 pounds. Because the cube is less dense than water, it needs an equal weight but a smaller volume of water to support it. The force of the displaced water pressing in on all sides is called buoyancy.
If this principle holds, how can a steel ship possibly float, when steel has a density approximately 8 times that of water? In fact, the hull of the ship is filled with air, and air’s density is 816 times less than that of water.
If the overall size and weight of the ship are considered, then, its density is actually less than that of water, and the ship will float.
Related Posts
-
How does a steel ship float on water if metal is heavier than water?
The easiest way to understand the science involved is to float a metal bowl. While the metal itself is heavier than water and would normally sink like a stone, the shape spreads the…
-
Why Do Icebergs and Ice Cubes Float When Solids Are Heavier Than Liquids?
Generally, yes. But water is an exception. As trivial as this question may sound, the answer is of life-and-death importance. If ice didn't float on water, we might not even be here to…
-
What Makes a Ship Float?
According to Newton's law of gravity, every object exerts a pull on the things around it. Since the earth is millions of times bigger than the things around it, it pulls everything toward…
-
Why Does Ice Float On Water and Why Is Ice the Only Non-Metallic Substance To Expand When it Freezes?
Ice floats because water molecules occupy more space in the solid state than in the liquid state, so that a given volume of ice is lighter than the same volume of water. The…
-
How do clouds float in the air if they contain a lot of water?
Despite having a fluffy facade of unbearable lightness, clouds are actually pretty heavy things in the sky. Take even a small, fluffy cloud measuring a mere cubic kilometer. The water in that cloud…
-
Why Do Ships Float On Water and Why Do Heavy Things Sink?
The pat answer to the everyday puzzle of why things float invariably goes like this: "According to Archimedes' principle, a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to…
