Buoyancy

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/buoyancy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the discoverer?Archimedes of Syracuse
2. What is the principle name?Archimedes' Principle
3. Why do big ships float but small pebbles sink?A big ship has a huge volume that pushes out a lot of water, creating a big upward force. A pebble is too small and heavy for the water it pushes out, so the upward force is not enough to lift it.
4. How does Archimedes' Principle explain why things float or sink?Archimedes' Principle says the upward force on an object equals the weight of the fluid it pushes away. If that force is bigger than the object's weight, it floats; if it is smaller, the object sinks.

Buoyant Force: The upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight.
Displaced Fluid: The volume of fluid pushed aside by a submerged or partially submerged object.
Average Density: The total mass of an object divided by its total volume.
Metacenter: A point used to determine the stability of a floating object.