Question

What is the maximum weight a floating body may have?

Answer 1

Hint:This question is related to buoyant force and Archimedes Principle and weight calculation when the body is in a fluid. We have to consider the condition of the Archimedes principle when a body is floating in a fluid.

Complete step by step answer:
The Buoyant force is the force that moves in an upward direction by a fluid that resists the weight of the body immersed. The buoyant force is opposite in direction to the weight of the object. Hence, when an object is floating, the buoyant force becomes equal to the weight of the immersed body.When calculating the buoyant force and equating it with the weight of the body, the mass of the body becomes proportional to the product of the density of a liquid and the volume of the body.Therefore, we can state that the maximum weight which a floating body can have:It is the product of the density of the liquid and the volume of the body.Water has a density of $1\,gm\,c{m^{ - 3}}$, Therefore the maximum weight a floating body may have is $1\,gm$ if its volume is $1\,c{m^3}$.
Additional Information:
The buoyant force is a result of pressure exerted by the fluid. The fluid pushes on all sides of an immersed object, but as pressure increases with depth, the push is stronger on the bottom surface of the object than on the top.

Note:The students should keep in mind that any body will float in a liquid if it has a density less than or equal to the density of the liquid. While calculating the buoyant force and comparing it with the weight of the body, proper values are considered.