At Dictionary.com the American heritage dictionary defines in its second definition:
“buoy·an·cy … The upward force that a fluid exerts on an object less dense than itself.”
My question its this: Is the term buoyancy used to describe the force applied to an object by the fluid in which it is submerged only when the object in question is less dense then the fluid itself? In other words, does the object have to float in order to call that upward force exerted on it by the surrounding fluid buoyancy.
It seems to me that the upward force still exists even when the object is more dense. Does this upward force go by another name when it describes the action of a fluid on an object of higher density than itself? If so, what is it called? I must be dense not to remember this from middle school science class.
Could I jump higher because of greater buoyancy in a giant tank of Oxygen than in a giant tank of Hydrogen?
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"Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God." From the writings of St. Hildegard
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- Ladybird
- INTJ, A Jack of all trades and master of none. The more I learn the less I know.
1 comment:
You're right. Buoyancy is a fact even if the submerged object is more dense than the fluid it's submerged in.
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