Neutral buoyancy is a condition in which a physical body's density is equal to the density of the fluid in which it is immersed. This offsets the force of gravity that would otherwise cause the object to sink. An object that has neutral buoyancy will neither sink nor rise.
In scuba diving, the ability to maintain neutral buoyancy through controlled breathing is an important skill.
Read more about Neutral Buoyancy: History, Uses, Characteristics, Appearance in Nature, Creating Neutral Buoyancy, Density of Everyday Substances (in G/cm3)
Famous quotes containing the words neutral and/or buoyancy:
“The seashore is a sort of neutral ground, a most advantageous point from which to contemplate this world. It is even a trivial place. The waves forever rolling to the land are too far-traveled and untamable to be familiar. Creeping along the endless beach amid the sun-squall and the foam, it occurs to us that we, too, are the product of sea-slime.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The boatmen appeared to lead an easy and contented life, and we thought that we should prefer their employment ourselves to many professions which are much more sought after. They suggested how few circumstances are necessary to the well-being and serenity of man, how indifferent all employments are, and that any may seem noble and poetic to the eyes of men, if pursued with sufficient buoyancy and freedom.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)