This always confused me. Both are heavy, but one sinks and the other floats. Why?
A golf ball is dense and doesn’t displace enough water to float. A ship has air inside, so it’s less dense.
Foster said:
A golf ball is dense and doesn’t displace enough water to float. A ship has air inside, so it’s less dense.
Think of it this way: the ship spreads its weight out over a larger volume.
It’s all about buoyancy! The ship displaces water equal to its weight, but the ball doesn’t.