Question

Why don’t ships made of the iron sink?

Short answer

The overall density of the ship is less than the density of the water.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the shape of a ship

The ship is in the form of V-shaped hulls. The ships generally displace more water in the ocean. The ship is made hollow inside it. The hollow space in the ship is filled with air. Due to this structure and composition, the ship's density becomes less compared to the water.

Explanation of the ships made of iron doesn’t sink

The ship's material composition is not pure iron. If iron ships are made up of pure iron, the ship will sink in the water. The area between the hull and the deck is open (vacant or hollow). Due to this, the water density is higher than the density of the ship.

The density relation can be expressed as,

Here, M_iron is the mass of the iron, V_ship is the volume of the ship, and is the ρ ρ_water density of water.

Thus, the iron ships float in the water.