Floating and Sinking A Top Ten List of Misconceptions About Floating and Sinking 10. A helium balloon, when released outdoors, will only rise a few thousand feet because the heat of the sun will pop it. When you suck soda through a drinking straw, you are using force to pull the soda upward. A submarine uses its propulsion engines to dive or surface.
Objects float better in hot water than in cold water.
A glass of ice water, filled to the brim, will overflow once the ice melts. When a boat or other object floats, buoyant force holds it up but when that same object is submerged and sinks, the buoyant force goes away. An obese person will usually have more trouble staying afloat in a swimming pool than a thin person will. A helium balloon floats in air because the helium pushes upward on the inside of the balloon. For a boat to float, it must be made from a material that itself will not sink when placed in water.