Proverbial+Icebreaker

The answer to the question posed in the home page is that the fat lady will more than likely not drown in the water, even if she cannot swim. There are three key items that are going for her, including the density of adipose tissue versus the density of water, her large volume, as well as the force of gravity. In fact, buoyancy, the upward force that is exerted on an object submerged in a fluid, is solely dependent upon density, volume, and the force of gravity.

B=p(fluid)Vg

There is also a downward force that must be considered in calculations, referred to as weight. This value can be obtained by measuring the mass of the object and multiplying the value by the gravitational force, which on Earth is 9.8m/s^2. Addtionally, this value can be obtained by evaluating the product of the density of the object, volume of the object, and the force of gravity.

w=p(object)Vg

If the buoyant force is greater than the weight, the object will float. Therefore, if B-w is a positive value, the object will float. This difference is called the apparent weight of an object, particularly if the object sinks, instead of floating. Here is an equation that can be used to discover the apparent weight of an object:

B-w=[p(fluid)-p(object)]Vg

This equation reveals a substantial point. If the density of the object is greater than the density of the fluid, the object will sink guaranteedly, because this will contribute a negative sign to product side of the equation. In order for the fat lady to float in water, the density of the various tissues in her body must be less than the density of the water she is swimming in.

This is possible, however. If we are to say that the fat lady is obese, then by the legal characterisic of obesity, her body must be comprised of at least 30% body fat. Body fat, also referred to as adipose tissue, has a density of .92 g/cm^3. The density of water is 1.00g/cm^3. Therefore, the fat lady could very well float when considering the fat lady's density in regards to her body composition.

media type="file" key="Floating Fat.mov"