Question

Will the same ship float higher in salt water than in freshwater? Explain your answer.

Short answer

The ship will float because salt water has more density than freshwater.

Step-by-step solution

Conceptual Introduction

Fluid statics, often known as hydrostatics, is a branch of fluid mechanics that investigates the state of balance of a floating and submerged body, as well as the pressure in a fluid, or imposed by a fluid, on an immersed body.

Define the buoyancy law

The importance of density in Archimedes' principle cannot be overstated.Whether or whether an item float is ultimately determined by its average density. It will float if itsaverage densityis less than that of the surrounding fluid. This is due to the fluid's increased density, which means it has more mass and hence more weight in the same volume.

As a result, the buoyant force, which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced, is more than the object's weight.

Similarly, an item with a higher density than the fluid will sink.

Ship float higher in salt water

The more the density of a fluids, the less fluid must be moved in order for the object's weight to be supported and float.

Therefore, due tosalt water has a larger density than fresh water, lesser salt water will be displaced, allowing the ship to float higher.