The Buoyancy Force of Icebergs Explained

The Specific Gravity of Ice and Seawater

The specific gravity of ice is 0.917, whereas that of seawater is 1.025. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance. In this case, ice is less dense than seawater, which explains why icebergs float in water.

Percentage of Iceberg Above the Surface

The percentage of the iceberg that is above the surface of the water is 10.73%. This calculation is based on the principle of buoyancy, which states that the buoyant force acting on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Calculating Buoyancy Force

The buoyancy force experienced by the iceberg is equal to the weight of the seawater displaced by the iceberg. This buoyant force is what keeps the iceberg afloat in the water.

Using the densities of ice (ρi = 0.917) and seawater (ρw = 1.025), we can calculate the fraction of the iceberg submerged in water as f = 1 - ρice/ρwater = 1 - 0.917/1.025 = 0.1073. Therefore, 10.73% of the iceberg is above the surface of the water.

The specific gravity of ice is 0.917, whereas that of seawater is 1.025. What percent of an iceberg is above the surface of the water?

The percentage of the iceberg that is above the surface of the water is 10.73%.