How Do Ships Float on Water?

Imagine you're playing with a toy boat in the bathtub. If it's full of water, it sinks, but if it's empty, it floats. Ships work like that too! They are built so that they can hold lots of stuff without filling up all their space with water. That way, buoyancy helps them float on top of the water.

Take the quiz →

Examples

A rubber duck floats in the bathtub because most of its space is filled with air, not water.
An empty boat sits higher on the water than a full one because it weighs less and displaces less water.
When you fill your glass to the top with water, any small object added will cause it to spill, like when you add ice cubes.

Ask a question

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Science · Physics,Buoyancy,Ships