NoName asked:
ship sailing from the ocean into a fresh-water harbor sinks slightly deeper into the water. Does the buoyant force on it change? If so, does it increase or decrease?
Barry
ship sailing from the ocean into a fresh-water harbor sinks slightly deeper into the water. Does the buoyant force on it change? If so, does it increase or decrease?
Barry
If it sinks going from salt water to fresh, then yes, the buoyant force changes. Sinking mean more displacement was needed to achieve neutral buoyancy, therefore the force decreased.
Comment by harbqll — June 25, 2008 @ 11:28 am
The buoyant force does not change unless the mass of the ship changes. The buoyant force is equal to the weight of water displaced. Fresh water is less dense than salt water so to produce the same buoyant force, the ship must displace more fresh water to achieve the same buoyant force. As a result, the ship sinks slightly
Comment by frozen — June 28, 2008 @ 8:23 am