a lighter thing floats on water but why not a pin?

Answer 1

Density

Answer 2

wht dya mean by "lighter"? even a giant ship floats on water!!

it has something to do with buoyancy. the shape of the object defines if the buoyancy would act on the object or not. more the surface area, more would be the buoyant force exerted by the water.

and in case you dont know what is buoyant force, it is the force exerted by a liquid on a solid kept on its surface. if the buoyant force is strong enough, the solid body would float on it.

as far as density is concerned, any solid which has a lesser density than that of a liquid it is thrown into, will float in the liquid.
for example -an ice cube has a lighter density than water, therefore it floats on water. whereas an iron cube has a heavier density than water, so it sinks in water.

however, iron can be made to float on water if its given a flattened shape which enables buoyant force to act on it.

""A pin has a very small mass, but neither does it have a shape to support buoyancy, nor does it have a lighter density than water.""

i hope your doubt is cleared.

Answer 3

A pin or needle will float on water due to the surface tension of the water (like some water bugs!). Add a little detergent to break the surface tension and it will sink because the pin weighs more than an equal (tiny) volume of water.

Answer 4

light is not the criteria for floating in a medium(fluid).
density is the main thing irrespective of volume.
density of water is lesser than density of steel from which the pin is made. since the density of pin material is high than water it does not float, it sinks.
if you cut wood and drop it in water it floats whatever be the size, because of its lower density compared to water.
there is another term specific gravity which is defined as the ratio of density of the particular object in air to the same object's density in water.
so the specific gravity of an object is more than 1 then the object will sink in water.
density is calculated as mass/volume for different materials,taking unit mass(weight) and calculate the volume possessed by the object.

Answer 5

A substance floats on fluid if it's density is less than the fluid.
A pin has more density than that of water, so it sinks . whereas, lghter things like the wood . feather...etc. Float due to their lesser density than that of water.

Answer 6

hello
there r two things why a thing floats
(1)buoyancy[the upward thrust exerted by the lquid on the body]
(2)density of the body

if the density of the body is more than the liquid then the body sinks into the liquid

the density of pin is high than water so it sinks

Answer 7

In order to float on water, amount of water displaced by an object must be equal to the bject.That's how the ships are floating in the sea even though they are much denser than water.

Answer 8

It's not so much weight, as it is density and displacement.

A ship is far, far, far heavier than a pin; but it's mostly fll of air. The weight of the entire ship -- hull, contents, and air -- is equal to the amount of water that it pushes out of the way (displaces) when it floats.

A pin has no air inside, so its density is greater than water, so it sinks.

Answer 9

When a needle or pin does not break the surface tension of the water, it will be suspended on top, but will not actually float by bouyancy.

Answer 10

it is due to gravity n the density!
the force that gravity exerts on an object is that object's weight. An object that has more gravity pulling on it weighs more and vice versa.
in this case the pin has more of density n gravitational value

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