Floating and Sinking

Learning objectives

Use the prepared scene to investigate the following physical ideas:

• Archimedes' principle
• Density
• Floating equilibrium

Available controls

The workspace lets you pause and play the scene, select its objects, edit the starting properties described below, reset the scene, and inspect configured live graph measurements.

1. Press Play and let both objects enter the water.
2. Change either object density.
3. Compare buoyant force and submerged volume.

Expected observations

• The low-density object floats after a short transient.
• The dense object sinks to the bottom.
• Floating equilibrium occurs when buoyancy balances weight.

Model limitations

The fluid and objects use simplified two-dimensional volume and drag calculations. Surface tension, splashing, and complex flow are not modeled.

Simulation output is educational and approximate. Verify important results with independent calculations or physical measurements.