Why Do Boats Float?

Why Do Boats Float?

Are you fond of fishing or sailing with the family? Or do sea or lake trips make you seasick? Have you ever wondered why the boat or canoe your riding in does not sank but floats and takes you wherever you want to?

This is a proven theory by Archimedes, known as the Archimedes principle, some 2000 years ago, on why do objects float. For Archimedes for an object to remain floating in liquid the weight of the object pushes down and with this the displaced amount of liquid is now equal with the weight of the object which makes the object float. As an example, if you place a block of wood with about 25 pounds on a tub of water, noticed how the block of wood displaces about 25 pounds of water. With this, 25 pounds of water is pushed above making the block of wood float in the tub.

In the study of physics, this principle is called buoyancy. Buoyancy is an upward acting force due to the fluid’s pressure which opposes the weight of the object. This principle helps us figure and explain why some objects float and some do not. In buoyancy, the density of the object is as well considered that’s why we have positive and negative buoyancy.

Positive buoyancy is when an object floats, the object displaces an amount of water that weighs more than the object does, with this, and the object is less dense. While negative buoyancy is when an object displaces an amount of water that weighs less than the object, the object sinks because the object is denser than the water and the water’s buoyancy is not sufficient enough to make the object float. Between the two principles, stated, Archimedes and that of buoyancy, it is buoyancy that is more considered in the building of boats and even in water sports to keep things afloat. Therefore, buoyancy makes a boat float in any water surface it is designed to withstand.