The discussion centers on the relationship between buoyant force and action-reaction pairs as described by Newton's Third Law. Participants clarify that the buoyant force acts on an object submerged in fluid, while the object exerts an equal and opposite force on the fluid. This interaction aligns with Archimedes' Principle, which states that the weight of a floating body equals the weight of the fluid displaced. The buoyant force is not merely a reaction to the object's weight but is derived from the pressure distribution over the object's surface.
PREREQUISITESStudents of physics, engineers working with fluid systems, and anyone interested in the principles of buoyancy and fluid mechanics.
SteamKing said:The buoyant force for a floating body is produced in reaction to the weight of the body.
By Archimedes Principle, the weight of a floating body is equal to the weight of fluid displaced by the body.
For a floating body at equilibrium (not being accelerated) the two forces will be equal, but I wouldn't say the buoyant force is in reaction to the weight of the body. It is just the integral of the pressure over the surface of the body, and this is true whether the body is sinking, bobbing up and down, resting on the ocean floor... The equal reaction from the body is in the same manner, distributed over its surface.SteamKing said:The buoyant force for a floating body is produced in reaction to the weight of the body.
By Archimedes Principle, the weight of a floating body is equal to the weight of fluid displaced by the body.