Mysterious Physical Phenomenon: Balancing a Badminton Racket in Water

[matsorz]

Hello. Today I came across a physical phenomenon ..
I played badminton in France, at the swimming pool. So I lost my paddle in the pool. (A badminton racket looks like a tennis racket)

In the water, no matter how I throw the racket down, balancing it on the head in the bottom of the pool, not the handle, but on the head by strings. It stands straight up.

How can this be? The handle is heavier than the head of the racket, but why it does not float, and how it manages to balance perfectly on the bottom of the pool? It would never made it on land ...

 

[Archosaur]

It is not truly weight that matters, but density. The handle may be heavier than the rest of the racket, but it is also much thicker. It takes up much more space. So, overall, it is less dense. Therefore, the buoyant force on the handle is greater, making it want to float, while the rest of the racket is dense enough to want to sink.

 

[matsorz]

Thanks, getting a grip to it now!