How do ships float?

How do cruise ships float?

• I was talking to my friend about cruises. she told me she's afraid of the ship sinking so I told her about the lifeboats and then she asked "how does the ship float?". I was about to ...show more

• Answer:

  I believe cruise ships float because of displacement. The very large amount of water the ship displaces has a greater mass than the essentially hollow ship, so the ship remains bouyant. If a break occurs in the side of the ship and too much water gets in, the displacement is lost, the ship and water's mass equalize, and the ship sinks (e.g. Titanic)