• Question: I know how ships stay afloat but what is they miscalculated the weight the ship was going to take - would it sink?

    Asked by Ana + Meg to Adam, Breandan, Gabriel, Sarah, Sophie, Walaa on 13 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Gabriel Balaban

      Gabriel Balaban answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      When you mix oil and water the oil rises above the water because it is less dense. The same thing happens with ships, they contain a lot of air and so are less dense than water and float. If you add too much weight to a ship you can make it more dense than water, which will cause it to sink.

    • Photo: Breandan Murphy

      Breandan Murphy answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      Absolutely – if the mass of the ship exceeds the mass of water it displaces then it must sink.

      In reality a ship is in serious danger even if it is overloaded short of the mass of water it displaces, because swell or waves may then flow over the sides and very quickly increase the mass to the point that it sinks.

      That’s why the Plimsol line is such an important element of scientific nautical technology!
      https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-law/what-is-plimsoll-line-on-ships/

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