What is Buoyancy? - Mocomi Kids

Buoyancy Boats, canoes, ships, kayaks, and rafts all have one thing in common- they are used as transport on seas and rivers because they float. It's easy to figure out without much thinking that if they are made out of wood they will float, because wood floats in water. But when you see a huge cargo ship or a cruise-liner that looks like a floating building, you can't help but wonder why this massive chunk of metal doesn't sink.

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Buoyancy

A long time ago in Ancient Greece, a mathematician named Archimedes was taking a bath. When he got in, a certain amount of water got displaced and overflowed over the lip of the tub. This got him thinking so quick that he ran through the streets without any clothes on shouting Eureka! Eureka! Meaning I have found it. Archimedes figured out that if the weight of the object being placed in the water is less that the weight of the water displaced, the object will remain afloat. This is known as buoyancy or the Archimedes principle.

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Buoyancy Loadline

Ships made out of metal are able to remain lighter than the amount of water they displace because it is not a complete solid. The very bottom of the ship, called the hull, is hollow and therefore adds support to the ship without adding any mass. When a ship is fully loaded, there is a maximum amount of weight it can carry before the weight of the ship increases past the amount of water it displaces. If the ship should take on some water by mistake during a storm, it is simply pumped back out into the ocean and it's safe from sinking once more. F UN FOR ME!

Project

Buoyancy

The next time you are in a swimming pool try floating. Lay flat on your back and try to keep afloat. You will notice that you are more buoyant when you inhale than when you exhale. Can you tell why?

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