Application of Floatation

Floatation of an Iron Ships A solid body of density greater than that of water sinks while a body of density lower than that for water, floats. An iron nail sinks in water because the density of iron is greater than that of the water, so the weight of the nail is more than the upthrust of water on it. On the other hand, ships are made of iron. They are designed in such a way that the average density of the ship becomes always less than that of water. Therefore, the weight of water displaced becomes equal to the total weight of the ship and the ship floats. Floatation of an Iceberg As the density of ice is slightly less than that of the sea water, therefore, when a big glacier breaks in a cold region, it floats in sea water with a small part outside. (The density of ice is 0.917 g cm-3 and that of water is 1 g cm-3.) If the total volume of an iceberg is V and volume above the surface of water is v, then (V - v) is the volume of iceberg below the surface of water. Floating Docks The walls of a floating dock consist of huge tanks. Water can be pumped into them so that the floor of the dock is sunk to a sufficient depth for a ship to enter the dock. Then water is pumped out of the tanks, and when the total weight of dock, water in the tanks, and ship is less than the weight of water the dock is displacing, it will rise and so the ship may be raised above the water level. Floatation of Fish Many species of fish have an organ called swim bladder (long chamber of soft flexible walls) which acts like the ballast tank of a submarine. Gases from fluids of fish's body can diffuse into this chamber, thus, increasing its volume. This results in a greater displaced water and, hence, greater upthrust. So, the fish rises to the surface. When gases contained in the chamber are released, the walls of the chamber collapse, thereby decreasing the volume and, hence, a decrease in upthrust. The fish goes down into depth. Hence, by adjusting the volume of swim bladder to the required extent, a fish can stay at any level in the water. Some fishes use their fins continuously to keep floating. Floatation of Man As the human head is heavier than the rest of the body, the average density of the human body becomes more than that of the water. Hence, if anyone jumps into the water, he or she is likely to drown in water. A human being can float in water if he or she fills his lungs completely with air. By doing so, the density of the body decreases and correspondingly the volume of the body increases resulting in greater displacement of water and, hence, greater upthrust. This upthrust can balance the weight of the body provided whole of his body except his nose and mouth is out of water. It is also due to high density of head that a dead body always floats on the surface of water but the head stays within the water. The body remains on the water surface as when a dead body decays, its volume increases.

Hot air balloon 1. rises upwards (Upthrust > Weight of hot air (helium gas) + weight of airship fabric + weight of gondola + weight of passengers.)( balloon expand) 2..descends (Upthrust < Weight of hot air (helium gas) + weight of airship fabric + weight of gondola + weight of passengers.)(balloon shrinks) 3. stationary (Upthrust = Weight of hot air (helium gas) + weight of airship fabric + weight of gondola + weight of passengers.)( balloon size uncanged) Diving and surfacing of submarines A sub has ballast tanks that can be filled with water or air. To dive, a sub must become heavier, so the tanks allow water in while venting air out. To surface, a sub must become lighter. A supply of compressed air on the sub is used to force water back out of the ballast tanks. Water Bridge in Germany Six years to build it, 500 million euros later, and 918 meters long..... This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration. Did this bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic, or just the weight of the water? Answer: It only needs to be designed to withstand the weight of the water! Why? A ship always displaces an amount of water that weighs the same as the ship, regardless of how heavily a ship may be loaded.

Sport is all forms of competitive physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Hundreds of sports exist, from those requiring only two participants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. Sport is generally recognised as activities which are based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity, with the largest major competitions such as the Olympic Games admitting only sports meeting this definition, and other organisations such as the Council of Europe using definitions precluding activities without a physical element from classification as sports. However, a number of competitive, but non-physical, actvities claim recognition as mind sports. The International Olympic Committee (through ARISF) recognises both chess and bridge as bona fide sports, and SportAccord, the international sports federation association, recognises five non-physical sports, although limits the amount of mind games which can be admitted as sports. Sports are usually governed by a set of rules or customs. Physical events such as scoring goals or crossing a line first often define the result of a sport. However, the degree of skill and performance in some sports such as diving, dressage and figure skating is judged according to objective or subjective criteria. This is in contrast with other judged activities such as beauty pageants and body building, where skill does not have to be shown and the criteria are not as well defined. Records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news. Sports are most often played just for fun or for the simple fact that people need exercise to stay in good physical condition. However, professional sport is a major source of entertainment.