A body is held immersed in a liquid. (i) Name the two forces acting on the body and draw a diagram to show these forces. (ii) State how do the magnitudes of two forces mentioned in part
(i) determine whether the body will float or sink in the liquid when it is released.
(iii) What is the net force on the body if it (a) sinks, (b) floats?
The two forces that act on the body are:
Downward direction – weight of the body
Upward direction – upthrust of the liquid
(ii) Magnitude of the forces acting on the body can determine whether the body will sink or
float.
The body will sink if the weight of the body is greater than the upthrust acting on it
whereas the body will float if the weight of the body is equivalent to or lesser than the
upthrust acting on it.
(iii) (a) The net force acting on the body when it sinks is the weight of the body itself.
(b) The net force acting on the body when it floats is the upthrust due to the liquid.
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