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
Well, the buoyant force is a property of the liquid, not the object. The force is gonna be present, regardless, but due to the density and mass of the object, that force is not enough to overcome gravity in that case. It’s similar to friction in that regard, hence why you see the normal force also being exerted there.
EDIT: Oh yeah, another way to think of the buoyant force is as a product of the density of the fluid. A denser fluid will have more molecules to “push” against any objects that are submerged in it and vice versa for a fluid with less density.
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