From: Tony Williams 

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

My guess is that it would be insignificant - look at how high a cruise
ship's sides are out of the water - but when it comes to cargo that's why
there's a Plimsoll line drawn on the side of ships, so you know when it's
getting too low in the water.

> 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.

We're % water, with bones which are denser than water and fat
which is lighter. The two more or less cancel out so most people will float
- especially if their lungs are full of air - but not necessarily on their
backs and certainly not with their heads in the air. Fall asleep in the
water, your head drops below the surface, and nobody can stay awake
forever.

That's why life jackets support your neck - so you can relax and still be
able to breathe.

--
Tony

> On Sun, 09 Oct 2005 02:36:33 -0700, Tony Williams 
> wrote in message :
>
>
>>Ellen K. wrote:
>>
>>>OK, so to be serious (!) for a moment, does this mean that the way ships
>>>float is based on the relationship between the weight of the ship and
>>>the weight of the amount of water it displaces?
>>>
>>
>>That's right. A ship displaces exactly its own weight of water, and if
>>the side of the ship is still above the water line then it'll float.
>
>

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