Archimedes' principle: buoyancy

Change the volume under the surface, the mass of the object and the fluid to see the upthrust and whether it floats.

Works in metric or imperial units.

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Questions students ask

How do steel ships float?

The hull is hollow, so the ship displaces a large volume of water. The upthrust equals the weight of water displaced, which balances the ship's weight.

What formula does it use?

Upthrust = weight of fluid displaced = ρ_fluid × V × g.

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