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Buoyancy |
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What would you say is the most important quality of a well-built boat?
What keeps your body from sinking when you swim? What allows ducks to sit on top of the water?
The answer to all of these questions is... BUOYANCY!
The first thing to know about buoyancy is that it is a FORCE. What other forces do you know about? What is the force that pulls a ball down to the ground when you let it go? GRAVITY is a force that acts in a downward direction.
BUOYANCY is a force that acts opposite to gravity. It is the upward force exerted on a body placed in a liquid. In other words, buoyancy is what makes things float.
Do all substances float? What are some substances that boats are made from? Do these float? Is buoyancy important to the boat you will be sailing on? You will be able to answer these questions and more after participating in the BUOYANCY CHALLENGE during your shipboard adventure.
Check out this link for online buoyancy fun!
Link will open in a new window.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lasalle/buoybasics.html