A big ship floats, but a small stone sinks! Is it about weight—or something else? Let’s find out.
A stone is heavy and sinks. A feather is light and floats. So… is floating only about being heavy or light?
❌ Wrong idea: Heavy objects always sink, light objects always float. ✅ Correct idea: Floating depends on density, not just weight.
A ship is very heavy, but it floats because it spreads its weight over a large volume and pushes more water down.
Density = Mass ÷ Volume Objects that are less dense than water float. Objects that are more dense than water sink.
A solid ball sinks, but the same material shaped like a bowl floats. Shape changes volume—and that changes density!
Class 6: Materials & Water Class 9: Buoyancy Floating and sinking are explained using density and upthrust.
