Why do some solids sink and some solids float?

Answer 1

Anything heavier than water sinks; anything lighter than water floats.

Or, another way to say it: anything with a higher density than water (water weighs about a gram per cubic centimeter), or a higher specific gravity than water, sinks.

If the object weighs less than the weight of water that it displaces, then it floats.

Answer 2

It's down to density, as in, amount of mass per cm², or set area.

If the object is less dense than water, then it will float; If the mass in the same amount of mass of the water displaced is less, then it will float.

So heavy objects with lots of air inside weigh less than the same area of water.

Answer 3

The object is buoyed up (pushed up) by a force that is equal to the weight

of the water that the object occupies that was previously occupied by the

water. If you shape the object is in such a way that it occupies a volume of

water whose weight equals that of the object, the object will float. If it

occupies a volume of water whose weight is less than the weight of the

object, the object will sink.

Objects that are heavier than the same amount of water will sink. Things

that are lighter than the same amount of water will float. If you push an

empty bottle under water, you push a lot of water out of the way. That

water would weigh much more than the bottle. The bottle will float. A rock

put under water also pushes a lot of water out of the way. That water would

weigh less than the rock, so the rock can sink.

Answer 4

If an object is less dense than the water, it will float on top of it. If it weighs more per unit volume than the water, it will sink below it.

The trick to boats is that they have air inside, so as a whole they weigh less per unit of volume.

Another way to look at is this: If the weight of water that is displaced by the object when it is submerged in water exceeds the weight of the object, the object will float.

Answer 5

It depends on the density of the object. If the object's density is higher than the density of water, the object will sink. If it is lower, it will float.

Answer 6

It depends on their density (mass divided by volume).

If the object's density is higher than the density of water, that object sinks. If it's lower, that object will float.

Answer 7

It is due to density(the ratio of mass to volume). If the objects density is greater than the liquid, then it will sink. If it is less then it will float

Answer 8

when an object is more dense than another, meaning it has a higher mass per area, it will sink. When an object has a lower density than the substance, like cork and water, it will float.

Answer 9

the ratio is bigger than water