Will a volleyball held beneath the surface of water have more buoyant force than if it is floating on the surface? Explain
The correct answer and explanation is:
Yes, a volleyball held beneath the surface of water will experience a greater buoyant force than when it is floating on the surface.
The buoyant force is the upward force exerted by a fluid on an object submerged in it. This force is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object, as described by Archimedes’ principle. The key factor here is the volume of water displaced by the volleyball.
When the volleyball is floating on the surface, it displaces a volume of water equal to its weight, but the total volume submerged is limited. The ball only sinks enough to displace an amount of water equal to its own weight, meaning that the buoyant force is exactly balanced with the weight of the ball. In this case, the volleyball remains partially submerged, with only a portion of its volume underwater.
However, when the volleyball is held beneath the water’s surface, it displaces more water than when it is floating. As it goes deeper into the water, the volume of water displaced increases because a greater part of the volleyball is submerged. Since the buoyant force depends on the volume of water displaced, the deeper the ball is submerged, the greater the buoyant force it experiences.
Therefore, the volleyball will experience more buoyant force while submerged than it would if it were just floating, because it is displacing more water. However, this is true only up to the point where the volleyball is fully submerged, as any further increase in depth won’t significantly change the buoyant force unless the volume of the object changes.