Chapter 14.2, Problem 14R

To determine

The reason that a steel boat floats on water but a steel block does not.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

According to Archimedes principle, a body sinks in a fluid if it has greater density than that of the fluid whereas it floats if it has less density than the fluid’s density.

When a body floats in a fluid, then the upward buoyant force is equal to the weight of the body. When a body is partially or fully submerged in a fluid, the volume of the fluid displaced is equal to the volume of the portion of the body submerged in the fluid.

A steel boat is hollow from the inside and it contains large volume of air inside it. On the other hand, the steel block is solid inside.

Due to large volume, the density of a steel boat becomes less than the water and hence floats on it while a steel block sinks as its density is more than water’s density.

Conclusion:

Thus, the steel boat floats on water because it has greater volume and thus less density than steel block.