How can kayaks float if the material they are made from is denser than water?
many kayaks are made of plastics and other composite materials that are denser than water, so how are they able to float in water?
Bernouli’s Principle says that a body in a fluid is bouyed upward by a force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid. A kayak (or a steel ship – or, yes, even one with a hull made of concrete – will float if it pushes aside (displaces) water which weighs more than it does. That really is the function of the hull of any floating craft: Push aside the water so the displaced water will support the hull and its contents.
Once you’ve sorted out that, try to work out why ships made of steel float.
Archimedes found out the answer quite a long time ago. It’s to do with displacement of water:
Whether or not something sinks or floats is determined by both its total weight and the weight of water it displaces. If the former is bigger it sinks, if the latter is bigger it floats.
References :
Bernouli’s Principle says that a body in a fluid is bouyed upward by a force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid. A kayak (or a steel ship – or, yes, even one with a hull made of concrete – will float if it pushes aside (displaces) water which weighs more than it does. That really is the function of the hull of any floating craft: Push aside the water so the displaced water will support the hull and its contents.
References :