How does a large steel ship float on water?

Question

weight-many tons

Answer 1

Archimedes' principle

Upward thrust (force) on an object is equal to the weight of the mass of water it displaces.

Answer 2

Bravo to the Captain's answer.

It's buoyancy and displacement, simple as that !!  I remember sailing aboard a vessel (civilian) made of CONCRETE !!

Answer 3

a large steel ship stays on the water by the steel.

Answer 4

An object in a fluid experiences an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Basically the boat is composed of the large steel part, plus the air in the boat.  The steel by itself would sink because it is denser than water.  The shape of a boat encloses a lot of air.  When you average the density of the steel and air they are less dense than water, so the boat floats.

Much simpler explanation via the link below.

Answer 5

Here is an old boat builders' saying they used to help them remember... "8 pints, 8 pounds, the world around..."

Got it! Don't forget it... it will come in handy a few times through out your life - I guarantee it.

Now,  "How does a large steel ship float on water?"

It is with "bouyancy" and "displacement" that such ships can float... in fact did you know some boats are made out of concrete?

Now, 1 pint of liquid weighs 1 pound, 8 pints in a gallon - thus a gallon weighs 8 pounds, 8 gallons in a cubic foot - (8 x 8)and wha-la... we have 64 pounds.  A cubic foot of seawater weighs 64... (fresh water slightly less).  So if you take a small sheet of steel, that weighs 32 lbs, and form it into two cubic foot square box ... it will foat.  Why? because there is 64 lbs per cubic foot or (in this case)128 lbs of (seawater) pressure against it - pushing it up. Since our steel container only weighs 32 lbs - it floats! Not only does it float, but (in this case) only about one fourth of it is under the water ie: since we have 128 lbs of pressure pushing up, and only 32 lbs pushing down.   To actually feel this pressue... you take an empty gallon bucket... fill your bathtub with water, put you hand in the bottom of the bucket and push the bucket down into the water - feel the pressure holding it up?  That is why steel ships (or boats of any kind) float.