Why a big steel ship can float while a small piece of steel readily sinks to the bottom of the sea?

Answer 1

Because the big steel ship has a density that is less than 1g/cm^3 so it floats, the reason the small piece of steel sinks is because its density is more than 1g/cm^3. Anything that has a density of more than one will sink in water.

Answer 2

It's Archimedes principle. An object that floats, displaces it's own weight of the liquid in which it is floating.
Put another way.
If you took that piece of metal, then hammered and rolled it so that it took up more room and more importantly, provided sides, so that it can keep water from covering it. Then it will reach a point where it has displaced it's own weight of water and it will float. The density and weight of your metal is the same, but you have modified it's shape, so that it makes a bigger hole in the water.

Answer 3

A big steel ship can float because it is designed to displace a greater volume of water than its weight, creating enough buoyant force to keep it afloat. In contrast, a small piece of steel does not displace enough water to counteract its weight, causing it to sink. The shape and density of the object play a significant role in determining whether it will float or sink.