What is a buoyant force? Be sure to give and explain an example.
physics.bu.edu/~duffy/semester1/c23_buoyant.html
The buoyant force. When an object is placed in a fluid, the fluid exerts an upward force we call the buoyant force. The buoyant force comes from the pressure exerted on the object by the fluid. Because the pressure increases as the depth increases, the pressure on the bottom of an object is always larger than the force on ..
You have a smooth pond.
You fill a balloon with water and hold it in your hand.
You have to hold it up
Put it in the pond.
You can hold it without any force up or down from it on your hand.
The water in the pond is holding it up with exactly the weight of the water in the balloon.
Now imagine the water in the balloon is sucked out but you had covered the outside of the balloon with weightless glue so it held its shape.
The force up from the pond did not change. It is equal to the weight of the water you took out of the balloon and now you have to hold the balloon down :)
Yes, I am a ship designer.
A buoyant force is the upward force exerted on an object partially or fully submerged in a fluid, such as water or air. This force opposes the weight of the object and is responsible for making objects float or appear lighter when submerged.
To understand the concept of buoyant force, consider the example of a boat floating in water. When a boat is placed on water, it displaces (pushes aside) a certain amount of water. According to Archimedes' principle, the buoyant force experienced by the boat is equal to the weight of the water it displaces.
Let's say the boat displaces 1000 kg of water. The weight of this water is equal to the mass of water (1000 kg) multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2). So, the weight of the water is 9800 N.
Now, the buoyant force acting on the boat is also 9800 N, according to Archimedes' principle. This upward force counteracts the weight of the boat (which is trying to sink) and allows the boat to float. If the buoyant force were less than the weight of the boat, the boat would sink, but if it were greater, the boat could rise or be partially lifted out of the water.
In summary, the buoyant force is the upward force exerted by a fluid on an object. It depends on the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. The greater the weight of the fluid displaced, the greater the buoyant force experienced by the object.