What happens to a ship that moves from a high density region to a low density region of the sea? Explain.

Short Answer

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Answer: When a ship moves from a high density region to a low density region of the sea, the buoyant force exerted on the ship decreases due to the lower density of the water. As a result, the ship sits lower in the water because the buoyant force is not compensating for the ship's weight as effectively as it did in the high-density region.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding buoyancy

Buoyancy is the upward force exerted by a fluid (like water) that opposes the weight of an object (in this case, a ship) immersed in it. This force is governed by Archimedes' principle, which states that the buoyant force experienced by an object submerged in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
02

Importance of density

The density of a fluid plays a significant role in determining the buoyant force. The weight of the fluid displaced depends on both its volume and density. Higher density fluids exert a greater buoyant force on submerged objects than lower density fluids.
03

Moving from a high density region to a low density region

When a ship moves from a high density region of the sea to a lower density region, the weight of the water displaced by the ship decreases because of the lower density. As a result, the buoyant force exerted on the ship also decreases.
04

Effect of changing buoyant force on the ship

As the buoyant force decreases, it becomes less effective at opposing the weight of the ship. Consequently, the ship will sit lower in the water since the buoyant force is not compensating for the ship's weight as effectively as it did in the high-density region. In other words, the ship will sink slightly deeper into the low-density region, but it will still remain afloat as long as the buoyant force is greater than or equal to the ship's weight.

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