Many people wonder why an extremely heavy steel ship can float when a tiny pebble sinks into the water’s deeps. How can this amazing fact be? The answer is buoyancy. Buoyancy is the incredible force that makes floating possible. Many factors affect buoyancy such as density, displacement, weight, and volume. Sadly, without buoyancy, nothing would be able to enter the earth’s beautiful waters and discover such breathtaking underwater creatures without instantly sinking into its depths. The same counts for the air. We could never fly the crafty airplanes, take a wonderful ride on a hot air balloon, or research the globe on a helicopter. Come to think of it, the only way we would be able to travel would be by foot, land vehicle, or on the back of an animal. But even that would not take us far. Luckily, we have our creator, the almighty God, who gave us buoyancy along with this exquisite universe and his love. A short time ago I knew nothing of buoyancy and the fascinating wonders it could do. Many people, in this world, do not know exactly how it works or that it even exists. The facts are all around us. The world is here for us to explore so appreciate every bit of it. If you want to know why such heavy things float, study and understand the concepts of buoyancy.
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Four very important factors of buoyancy are density, displacements, weight, and volume. Density is the key to which an object may or may not float. The definition of density is, the amount of weight packed into a space. Another way of describing density is, the mass of the object compared to its own volume. Any of those could describe density. For an object to have the capability to sink, it would have to be denser than the water itself. The denser an object is, the greater its pull of gravity towards the earth. Of course when the object sinks, water automatically moves out of the way. You could say the water is displaced. The displacement of water causes the level of water to rise. The exact weight of the object is equal to the amount of water that has been pushed away. Therefore, an object will keep on sinking until the amount of water moved is equal to the weight of itself. This fact was discovered around 200 B.C., by the famous man named Archimedes. This is known as the Archimedes principle. The displaced water then comes back with a force, that is equal to the object’s weight that then carries the object. This can either make the object stop sinking or it may make it float depending on its density. This force, also called upthrust, is that beautiful thing called buoyancy. Remember that objects of the same size or volume do not always have the same densities. This is why weight and volume are so important. Also, when objects have different measurements of density, their weight cannot be the same. Perhaps you have heard of relative density. Relative density is the object’s density compared to the water’s density. Did you know that the temperature of the water changes the distance an object sinks? The answer is simple. The temperature changes the water’s density. Water is known to be denser when cold, and less dense when warm. When in salt water, an object will float higher than it would in fresh water. So the type of water affects the density too. All that you now know about density in water is the same in the air. An object will float if it is less dense than the air itself. Is that not amazing? Buoyancy is what makes things float, but without density, displacement, weight, and volume, buoyancy could never be possible.
Examples of buoyant objects help explain the many factors of buoyancy. As mentioned, the density of water is easily changed by its temperature and amount of its salinity. If a swimmer was to go swimming in a warm, freshwater lake and then go swimming in the salt-filled, cold ocean waters, he would feel a dramatic difference between the two. The same goes for any floating object. The water’s density is completely changed when frozen. The reason why glaciers float in the artic waters is because it is less dense than the water itself. When drinking a beverage containing ice, any human can see that it floats making the liquid in the glass denser than the ice. The way any type of boat or ocean device is built is extremely important. The way the ship’s hull is crafted can decide whether a boat sinks or floats. If a whole ship were to be compressed into a sphere-like shape it would sink instantly. But luckily ships were designed to be hollow and ballasts were made to stabilize it, making this object quite buoyant. Wondering what a ballast is? People found that even though a ship would float, it would wobble and lean side to side frequently. And so the ballast was made to equalize the volume of the boat with its density. Increasing the volume of an object may sometimes decrease the object’s density. Ever question how a submarine can float while still being able to sink? Just like a ship, a submarine is equipped with ballast tanks. When floating, these tanks are filled with air, but to make this submarine sink, valves are open to allow water inside. A type of device, called a submersible, is designed specifically to sink into the ocean’s depths. The making and design of boats is very important, just as God made our bodies able to float. Understanding how these objects float makes it so easy to realize how every factor affecting buoyancy counts.
Now that you have learned the concept of buoyancy, you must know what an importance it is to this world. Being able to travel with ships and boats is a necessity to civilization. Apart from that, no creatures would be able to float in the waters. It is so very fascinating how buoyancy works, but what is even more interesting is how God created this world. Scientists are captivated, yet puzzled at the earth and its details. To learn more about something, scientists test with experiments. Just like the buoyancy experiments, these tests prove that the facts are true. Buoyancy, may be unbelievable but just as it is incredible, it is the truth. Do not forget that density, displacement, weight, and volume have everything to do with buoyancy. Without it, buoyancy could not be measured, nor could it exist. Appreciate the world around you and everything in it. We often take for granted of what we have and do not realize its importance to us. Next time you swim in a pool or take a vacation on a cruise, think about what is lifting you and keeping you a float. It is still the same buoyancy, but now you know more about it.
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