Floating and Sinking

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Floating

When an object floats in water it does so because the upthrust (from the water) and the pull of gravity are equal. These two forces are said to be balanced so the object remains still and floats.

Sinking

When an object sinks it does so because the upthrust is less than the pull of gravity. This results in a force pull down on the object being greater, therefore the object sinks.

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