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Difficulty: MediumBuoyancy and Archimedes' Principle

A naval submarine uses internal ballast tanks to take in or pump out seawater, allowing it to change its overall weight while its total external volume remains exactly the same. Arrange the following operational states of the submarine in order of the submarine's OVERALL AVERAGE DENSITY, from LEAST dense to MOST dense.

  1. 1Floating on the surface with the upper deck exposed to the air.
  2. 2Hovering motionless while completely submerged at a depth of 200 feet.
  3. 3Resting completely stationary on the solid ocean floor.

Answer

The correct sequence from least dense to most dense is: Floating on the surface, followed by Hovering motionless, and finally Resting on the ocean floor.
Density directly dictates buoyancy states. An object with a density lower than seawater will float on the surface. An object with a density equal to seawater will hover neutrally. An object with a density greater than seawater will sink to the bottom. Therefore, the order from least to most dense is: floating, hovering, sinking.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the condition required for an object to float.
The state of 'Floating on the surface' represents the lowest density.
According to Archimedes' principle, an object floats (positive buoyancy) when its overall density is less than the density of the fluid it is in.
2
Analyze the condition required for an object to hover underwater.
The state of 'Hovering motionless' represents a medium density.
An object achieves neutral buoyancy and hovers when its weight perfectly matches the buoyant force of the fully displaced fluid, meaning its density is exactly equal to the fluid's density.
3
Analyze the condition required for an object to sink.
The state of 'Resting on the solid ocean floor' represents the highest density.
An object sinks (negative buoyancy) when its weight exceeds the maximum possible buoyant force, meaning its overall density is greater than the fluid's density.

Key Concept

Buoyancy and Density Relationships (Positive, Neutral, and Negative Buoyancy)
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle

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