Hey guys, so my question basically boils down to, in the linked image below, **why is buoyant force exerted by the fluid** ***surrounding*** **the block instead of just the fluid** ***underneath*** **the block**, when buoyant force direction is straight upwards only? Like what property of the fluid molecules on the sides and top of the block is causing them to pull the block upwards?
Or in other words, there’s no water below the block, so what is pushing it upwards apart from the normal force? Thanks.
[https://prnt.sc/r9oh1o](https://prnt.sc/r9oh1o)
In: Physics
The buoyant force is always present in water, the theory is that there isn’t enough buoyant force to keep the block floating, or in other words, the weight of the block is greater than the buoyant force, so the block sinks.
Edit: I didn’t really read the question but yes, there is water pressure, or buoyant force in each direction, however the ones on the sides cancel each other out, as there are no additional forces in the horizontal directions. This is not the same for the vertical direction, where there is the additional force of the weight.
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