What weight of water does a 100-ton ship displace? What is the buoyant force acting on the ship?

Physics · High School · Tue Nov 03 2020

Answered on

To determine the weight of water a 100-ton ship displaces, we will need to understand the concept of displacement and buoyancy. When a ship floats in water, it displaces a volume of water that is equal to its own weight. This is known as Archimedes' principle.

Step 1: Convert the weight of the ship into kilograms. 1 ton is equal to 1000 kilograms, so a 100-ton ship would be 100,000 kilograms.

Step 2: Calculate the volume of water displaced by the ship. Water has a density of approximately 1000 kg/m^3. Dividing the weight of the ship (100,000 kg) by the density of water (1000 kg/m^3) will give us the volume of water displaced.

Volume of water displaced = weight of ship / density of water

Volume of water displaced = 100,000 kg / 1000 kg/m^3

Volume of water displaced = 100 m^3

Step 3: The weight of the water displaced is equal to the weight of the ship. This is because the ship is in equilibrium and experiences an upward buoyant force equal to its weight.

Therefore, the weight of water displaced by the 100-ton ship is 100,000 kg (or 100 metric tons).