Two life preservers have identical volumes, but one is filled with styrofoam while the other is filled with sand. When the two life preservers are worn by swimmers so that one swimmer floats with part of the preserver above water, and the other swimmer sinks, the buoyant force is actually greater on the life preserver filled with
A) sand.
B) styrofoam.
C) same

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The buoyant force on an object is determined by the volume of water it displaces, not by its content. Since both life preservers have identical volumes, the one that sinks (filled with sand) displaces more water when fully submerged compared to the one that floats (filled with styrofoam), resulting in a greater buoyant force on the sand-filled preserver.

Two Life Preservers Have Identical Volumes, but One Is Filled