Container ship

What are the conditions that must be met for an object to float? This small game allows you to simulate the loading of a container ship and visualize the lowering of its waterline.

Very heavy objects can float. Boats are good examples. An object floats if the weight of the water it displaces compensates for its own weight. This animation al-lows you to visualize how the boat sinks into the water to displace more water and compensate for its cargo. Its waterline sinks to displace an additional mass of wa-ter. It is Archimedes' principle which is stated as follows: An object immersed in a fluid undergoes a vertical force opposite to that of the weight of the displaced fluid. This force, which is sometimes called "Archimedes' force" is of course directed from the bottom up, unlike the weight which is directed from the top down.

However, there is a limit. As soon as the boat is fully submerged, it cannot displace more water and the boat will no longer be able to compensate for an increase in its mass. The boat sinks.

The submarine is another application of Archimedes' principle. You can simulate the operation of a submarine with the eduMedia animation Sub-marine or learn more with the Submarine video. The iceberg animation is also a beautiful application of this prin-ciple, adding the notion of balance.