Question

the boat from the question above springs a leak and sinks completely. what happens to the buoyant force? your response history: 1. incorrect. your answer: c. the buoyant force on the boat is greater when the boat is completely submerged than it is when the boat is floating. score: 0/0.2 you may change your answer and resubmit: a. the buoyant force on the boat does not change because the weight per unit volume of the material it is made of has not changed. b. the buoyant force on the boat does not change because the weight per unit volume of the water is the same in each case. c. the buoyant force on the boat is greater when the boat is completely submerged than it is when the boat is floating. d. the buoyant force on the boat is smaller because it doesn’t displace as much water after it sinks. e. the buoyant force on the boat does not change because the boat weighs less when it is submerged.

Explanation:

According to Archimedes' principle, the buoyant force on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. When the boat is floating, it displaces a volume of water equal to its weight. When it sinks, it displaces a volume of water equal to its own volume. Since the boat is denser than water when it sinks (it has taken on water and is no longer buoyant enough to float), it displaces less water than when it was floating (because when floating, the volume of water displaced was related to its total weight including air - filled parts that contribute to buoyancy). So the buoyant force is smaller.

Answer:

D. The buoyant force on the boat is smaller because it doesn't displace as much water after it sinks.