Learn more physics!
Q:
What happens to air bubbles released well under water? (Why do they float to the surface?)
- Wendy
Hong Kong, China
A:
Wendy -
It's actually not so much that the bubbles are floating to the top
as that the water is sinking to the bottom. Since water is pretty
heavy, gravity pulls it downwards. So the water that's above the bubble
gets pulled down to the bottom, just like if you were to dump a bucket
of water on the ground. Once all of the water is pulled down as far as
it can go, the bubble's made it all the way to the top.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)
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