Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

We did a experiment with different bowls to see if they float or sink. Found the volume and mass and density. Then derived that if the volume increases the payload capacity increases. But there is no constant? Is it mandatory?

The bowls are all different shapes and different masses...

Is this experiment any good?

Hello and Welcome to the Forums!

I think I could give you a better answer if I knew exactly what you meant by "if the volume increases the payload capacity increases."

Two constants in your experiment are the density of the water and air. You displace water and replace it with air. I quickly grabbed the Wikipedia definition of "neutral buoyancy":

Neutral buoyancy is a condition in which a physical body's mass equals the mass it displaces in a surrounding medium.

I'm assuming that all of your bowls have a similar density. If you add the mass of the bowl to the payload, there should be a linear relationship between the (payload + bowl) mass and the displaced volume.

Keith