Archimedes Principle
The design of boats is based on Archimedes' Principle, which states that the buoyant force on an object in water is equal to the weight of the water displaced.
Boats float because of their design. When a boat is heavily laden, it will settle lower in the water, because its surface area-to-weight ratio is different than when the boat is light. A boat will remain floating and stable provided it is not overloaded.
An object's weight-to-surface area ratio dictates its buoyancy. This also explains why boats sink: if the hull of a boat is breached, it begins to take on water, which makes it denser, causing it to displace more water. If the boat takes on enough water, it will become too heavy to remain buoyant.
The design of boats is based on Archimedes' Principle, which states that the buoyant force on an object in water is equal to the weight of the water displaced.
Boats float because of their design. When a boat is heavily laden, it will settle lower in the water, because its surface area-to-weight ratio is different than when the boat is light. A boat will remain floating and stable provided it is not overloaded.
An object's weight-to-surface area ratio dictates its buoyancy. This also explains why boats sink: if the hull of a boat is breached, it begins to take on water, which makes it denser, causing it to displace more water. If the boat takes on enough water, it will become too heavy to remain buoyant.
