Explain why a steel nail sinks but a steel ship floats.
The vertical buoyancy force is equal to the weight of displaced fluid. Therefore, for a steel nail to sink, the weight of fluid it displaces is less than the weight of the nail itself. While the steel ship displaces a very large amount of fluid, thus generating a sufficiently high buoyancy force to keep the ship afloat.
surface area of the ship against the water is much greater than the nail.
Its all about dispersing.weigh and mass. Over a larger area .And the surface tention of the water.A piece of glass will float as long as the water is calm. and doesn't break over the edge of the glass. I don't remember the formula. been away from school to long.
A steel nail is much denser than the water. That means that it weighs more than an equivalent volume of water. Therefore, the buoyancy is never going to be enough to hold it up. Whether it is a big steel nail or a small one, it will always be too dense for the water to support it. Because of its shape, a steel ship is not as dense as water. It is not made out of a solid block of steel. Instead, the hull is built of thin plates of steel enclosing an open space. A steel ship is sort of like an empty cup. Although its sides are hard and dense, it holds a lot of air in the middle. Since air weighs almost nothing, it lowers the overall density of the ship to a point where its buoyancy exceeds its weight, and the ship floats. Think of it as you trying to sink a balloon.
