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 United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name.... We must be impartial in thought as well as in action ... a nation that neither sits in judgment upon others nor is disturbed in her own counsels and which keeps herself fit and free to do what is honest and disinterested and truly serviceable for the peace of the world.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“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)