Buoyant force is another big reason why ships float. When you put an object in water, the water pushes up on it. This upward push is called buoyant force. A small iron nail has a tiny shape, so it displaces very little water. The nail’s downward force (its weight) is greater than the water’s upward push, so it sinks. But a ship has a massive surface area, so it displaces a huge amount of water. This makes the water’s upward buoyant force strong enough to hold up the ship’s weight.
