So why do big metal ships float, anyways?

[dave_the_nerd]

What's long, hard, and full of seamen?

PO Lickens.

 

[Red Squirrel]

All welds done on ships use a combination of nitrous oxide and helium gas. This makes it faster and also makes it float.

Seriously though, it's the same reason a pop can floats, but a block of solid aluminum would sink.

 

[sandorski]

Does a steel ship on a treadmill float?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Ah, so it's levitation. Cool! I'm going to get the OP some steel shoes with really thick soles so he can walk on water.

If I chip in can you get a pair bigger and heavier?

 

[RLGL]

Cement boats float also

 

[NoTine42]

Cement boats float also

You can also make a cement airplane

 

[WHAMPOM]

Surface tension. The reason why a steel double edge razor blade will float on water if dropped flat but not if dropped on edge.
Posting in an idiot OP thread.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Cement boats float also

For some reason this feels so mind boggling to me compared to metal boats, but yeah, I can't see why it would not work. I want to make a mini concrete boat now, just to see it in action.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Obviously, metal ways waaaay more than water. So why to these giant metal ships float? Is it because only the outside is metal, but they use ligher-than-metal materials on the inside? Like wooden frames or something?

Thanks!

Your posts are a waste of electrons. You desperately need to re-evaluate your life's priorities.

 

[who?]

All of the air in the hollow sections means that the ship weighs less than the water that it displaces, I think.

 

[pcgeek11]

OP. I am in awe of your bravery in asking this question.
I am also in awe of how dumb it is. You really must be trolling.

 

[Captante]

What's long, hard, and full of seamen?

A sock under Mayne's bed?

 

[NoCreativity]

For some reason this feels so mind boggling to me compared to metal boats, but yeah, I can't see why it would not work. I want to make a mini concrete boat now, just to see it in action.

It's actually a competition in universities.

 

[JTsyo]

What's important is the average density of the whole ship, it's total weight divided by it's total volume. .

Technically what's important is how much water you displace. To float you need to displace as much water as you weigh. Think of it this way, the water underneath the boat was holding up the water above it, so it can carry that much weight.

 

[sdifox]

Wood panel with metalic paint.

 

[sdifox]

When air over the top of the wing moves faster than the air moving around the bottom of the wing, you get flight.

But what if the plane is on a treadmill? :awe:

 

[Jaepheth]

Because Archimedes wills it.

 

[Paratus]

Ah, so it's levitation. Cool! I'm going to get the OP some steel shoes with really thick soles so he can walk on water.

Screw walking on water

 

[BurnItDwn]

Its magic.

 

[Paratus]

My boat doesn't need any frickin water!

 

[zinfamous]

sorta like how very small rocks float.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

sorta like how very small rocks float.

Bread! Apples! Very small rocks! A Duck!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

sorta like how very small rocks float.

Even some medium size ones, if they're the right shape.

See how the pointy end is down? That keeps it from displacing too much of the water.

 

[MrDudeMan]

If the ship was solid all the way through (wood, metal, doesn't really matter) it would sink, but most of it's volume is filled with air so it floats. What's important is the average density of the whole ship, it's total weight divided by it's total volume. The metal hull is heavier than water, but it's filled with air that is much lighter than water, and the density for the metal and air together is less than the density of water so the ship floats..

If you take an empty balloon that weighs 1/2 oz (14 gr) and put it in a cup of water, it will sink. If you fill it with air it will still weigh 1/2 oz, but now if you put the inflated balloon in your bath tub it will float.

Going back to the ship, if the hull gets breached and enough of the air is displaced by water, the density of the metal hull filled with water will be greater than the density of just the surrounding water (because metal is heavy/dense), so the ship will sink.

In some sense, what you said is right, but the explanation and reasons are not. It makes no difference how much air is inside the ship. The only thing that matters is how much water is displaced, which is a function of density, but the difference is significant. The ship can absolutely be constructed from a solid material with no air and it will continue to float as long as the weight of the ship is less than the weight of the displaced water.

Technically what's important is how much water you displace. To float you need to displace as much water as you weigh. Think of it this way, the water underneath the boat was holding up the water above it, so it can carry that much weight.

This is pretty much the answer. Density is important, but so is surface area, which are all factors in displacement. It's not as simple as saying be less dense than the water to float.

 

[momeNt]