Buoyant Force
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical.
buoyant force
[′bȯi·ənt ′fȯrs] (fluid mechanics)
The force exerted vertically upward by a fluid on a body wholly or partly immersed in it; its magnitude is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Buoyant Force
(buoyancy), the upward force that is the resultant of the pressure forces of a fluid on the surface of a body completely or partially immersed in the fluid. According to Archimedes’ principle, it is equal to the weight of the fluid that would fill the space occupied by the immersed portion of the body. The floating of bodies and of such structures as ships, boats, aerostats, and buoys is due to the buoyant force.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.