The discussion revolves around the concept of buoyant force and its relationship to Newton's third law of motion. Participants explore the nature of action and reaction forces in the context of buoyancy, particularly focusing on how these forces relate to the weight of an object and the fluid it displaces.
The discussion is active, with various interpretations being explored regarding the relationship between buoyant force and weight. Some participants provide insights into Archimedes' principle and the integral nature of buoyant force, while others express uncertainty about the classification of these forces as action-reaction pairs.
Participants are navigating the complexities of buoyant force in relation to gravitational forces and are questioning the definitions and assumptions surrounding these concepts. There is an emphasis on understanding the forces acting on a floating body and their implications in the context of equilibrium.
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.