Physics
Draw a diagram to show the forces acting on a body floating in water with it's some part submerged. Name the forces and show their points of application. How is the weight of water displaced by the floating body related to the weight of the body itself?
Answer
Below diagram shows the forces acting on a body floating in water with it's some part submerged:
The forces acting on the body are —
(i) The weight W of body acting vertically downwards, through the centre of gravity G of the body. This force has a tendency to sink the body.
(ii) The upthrust FB of the liquid acting vertically upwards, through the centre of buoyancy B i.e., the centre of gravity of the displaced liquid. This force has a tendency to make the body float.
The weight of the water displaced by the floating body is equal to the weight of the floating body.
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Icebergs floating in sea are dangerous for ships.
A body is held immersed in a liquid. (i) Name the two forces acting on body and draw a diagram to show these forces. (ii) State how do the magnitudes of two forces mentioned in part (i) determine whether the body will float or sink in liquid when it is released. (iii) What is the net force on body if it (a) sinks, (b) floats?