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buoyancy

Upward force that opposes the weight of an object immersed in fluid

Also known as upthrust

Instance of: physical phenomenon
Subclass of: surface force

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Buoyancy, or upthrust, is the force exerted by a fluid opposing the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. The pressure of a fluid increases with depth below the fluid's surface because of the weight of the fluid above. Thus, the pressure at the bottom of a container of fluid is greater than at the top of the container. Similarly, the pressure at the bottom of an object submerged in a fluid is greater than at the top of the object. This pressure difference results in a net upward force on the object. The magnitude of the force is proportional to the pressure difference, and, as explained by Archimedes' principle, is equivalent to the weight of the fluid that would otherwise occupy the submerged volume of the object, i.e. the displaced fluid.

Overview

All data

30 statements · 20% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Statement is subject of: object immersed in liquid
Opposite of: weight
Said to be the same as: Q11033652

On other databases

21 identifiers linking buoyancy across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

20%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 8, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). buoyancy (Q6497624). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/buoyancy-Q6497624