Question

Why iron nail sinks in water but ship made of iron does not sink in water

Answer 1

Hello,

Since the ship is designed in such a way that its effective density (m/V) is less than the density of the water.

V = volume of ship

m =mass of ship.

So it floats upon the water. Hence the ship does not sink.

For the nail,

The density of nail (as of iron) is much larger than the water. So it sinks easily.