• Question: I have been wondering about whether if the forces are equal to each other what will happen to Buoyancy and I have come to a conclusion, probably wrong, that it may hang around in the middle of a tank for example?

    Asked by Adam to Neil on 19 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Neil Taylor

      Neil Taylor answered on 19 Mar 2015:


      Hi Adam!

      Yes, you are absolutely right! Well done! 😀

      If the force acting downwards (the weight of the object) is equal to the buoyancy force acting upwards (weight of displaced water), then the forces exactly balance each other!

      Since F=ma…

      where:
      F=Net Force (i.e. difference between weight and buoyancy force) [N]
      m= mass [kg]
      a= acceleration [m/s²]

      …this means that no net force = no acceleration on the object!

      Well done on thinking this problem through. Keep it up! 😀

      Hope this helps – and remember to vote tomorrow! 😀

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