I am doing a science experience prooving giant ships can float

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on conducting a physics experiment to demonstrate why ultra large crude carriers and similar ships can float and remain stable in water. Key concepts include buoyancy, the relationship between the center of gravity (CG) and center of buoyancy (CB), and the importance of the metacenter for stability. Suggestions for simple experiments include building miniature ships and testing their stability in water, as well as comparing the dimensions and weights of models to real ships. The conversation also highlights the relevance of Reynolds number in understanding turbulence and its effects on ship stability. Overall, the thread emphasizes the need for accessible experiments and foundational physics principles to explore ship buoyancy and stability.
duskwood100
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I am trying to prove why ultra large crude carriers and other kinds of ships can float, and why they are stable in water?

The experiments need to be simple and doable at home. I also could use some formula for stability and dead weight and so on. Could someone please help me, maybe point me in the right direction :smile:

I have basic background in maritime apprentice motorman. I am doing this however as a physics experiment.
 
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duskwood100 said:
I am trying to prove why ultra large crude carriers and other kinds of ships can float, and why they are stable in water?

The experiments need to be simple and doable at home. I also could use some formula for stability and dead weight and so on. Could someone please help me, maybe point me in the right direction :smile:

I have basic background in maritime apprentice motorman. I am doing this however as a physics experiment.

No one's going to say anything?!
 
I guess that floating small models in your bathtub is not what you want?
 
With respect to proving the ships float, I was going to suggest simply taking the dimensions of the ship LxWxH and comparing the weight of water to the published weight of the ship - but that also seemed a bit obvious and a bit crude, so perhaps that's also not what was wanted?
 
Presumably the question relates more to stability in the water, why do they not turn turtle? Given the low density of the VLCC payload, that seems a reasonable question.

Afaik, for lateral stability the answer revolves around the center of gravity vs the center of bouyancy of the ship. If the CG gets too close to or even above the CB, bad things can happen. Longitudinal stability is another question, suggestions from more knowledgeable contributers will be needed.
 
As a first attempt, I suggest you familiarize yourself with buoyancy and Archimedes principle.
 
ty 4 all the help
 
For ships of normal proportions, the CG is often located above the CB. When the CG is located above a point called the metacenter, bad things can happen.
 
I think the gist of your experiment is that a larger ship is more stable than a smaller ship, right?

Well, you could build miniature ships of all different sizes and put them in a wave tank and see how they move. Those freight shipping liners are huge, so they aren't really affected by waves. Well, they can still tip over on some bad occasions.

On the science side, you can read up on Reynolds number and see what it says about turbulence which could make for a bumpy ride.
 
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