Question

Why does a loaded oil tanker sit lower in the water than an empty one despite the lower density of oil?

a) Loaded tanker displaces more water.
b) Loaded tanker experiences buoyant force.
c) Oil molecules sink.
d) Loaded tanker is less dense.

Answer 1

A loaded oil tanker sits lower in the water than an empty one because it displaces more water due to the extra mass of the oil increasing the overall density and causing the tanker to submerge more to support its weight.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason why a loaded oil tanker sits lower in the water than an empty one, despite the lower density of oil compared to water, is because a loaded tanker displaces more water.

This is a result of the density principle, which states that the extent to which a floating object is submerged depends on how the object's density compares to the fluid's density.

For a ship, the fraction submerged is the ratio of the volume submerged to the volume of the object. When an oil tanker is loaded, its overall density increases because it carries the additional mass of the oil, even if the oil itself is less dense than water.

Therefore, the tanker displaces enough water to support the weight of the loaded ship, causing it to sit lower in the water than when it is empty.