From: black.hole.4.spam{at}gmail.com (Don Hills)

In article , Ellen K.
 wrote:
>So do cruise ships impose a weight limit on passengers' baggage like
>airlines do?  Or would that be insignificant?

To add to what Tony said, the "Plimsoll line" on the side of
ships is named afer the inventor. It was an insurance company initiative.
Before it, many ship owners used to overload their vessels, which would
often sink and become an insurance loss. There are actually several lines,
for different waters - salt water is heavier than fresh water, and warm
water is lighter than cold water. The ship may not legally be sailed if it
is deeper in the water than the line corresponding to the
"lightest" water it will pass through on its voyage.

>What makes humans float or not?   I have always wondered why if a human
>floats by simply doing nothing, how it is that a person can drown.

Most humans are heavier than water. Try it next time - in a swimming pool
shallow enough to stand up in, exhale as far as you can. You shouild sink
to the bottom. It's the air in your lungs that decides whether you sink or
float.

--
Don Hills    (dmhills at attglobaldotnet)     Wellington, New Zealand
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