floating

State of equilibrium in which a body rests on or is suspended in the surface of a fluid (liquid or gas). According to Archimedes' principle, a body wholly or partly immersed in a fluid will be subjected to an upward force, or upthrust, equal in magnitude to the weight of the fluid it has displaced.

If the density of the body is greater than that of the fluid, then its weight will be greater than the upthrust and it will sink. However, if the body's density is less than that of the fluid, the upthrust will be greater than the weight and the body will be pushed upwards towards the surface. As the body rises above the surface the amount of fluid that it displaces (and therefore the magnitude of the upthrust) decreases. Eventually the upthrust acting on the submerged part of the body will equal the body's weight, equilibrium will be reached, and the body will float.