Question

Statement 1: A person feels lighter in water.
Statement 2: Apparent loss in weight of a body in the water is equal to the buoyant force.

Which of the following statement is true?

• A. Statement 1 is correct.
• B. Statement 2 is correct.
• C. Both statements are correct.
• D. Both statements are incorrect.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Both statements are correct.

When a body is immersed in the water, the force of buoyancy acts on the body in the upward direction.

The weight due to gravity is opposed by the this buoyant force provided by the fluid. The object inside the liquid feels the total force acting on it as the weight. Hence, the object feels as though its weight is reduced. The apparent weight is thus given by:
Apparent weight = Weight of object (in the air) – Thrust force (buoyancy)

Archimedes’s principle tells us that this loss of weight is equal to the weight of liquid the object displaces. Thus, apparent loss in weight of a body in the water is equal to the buoyant force.