Archimedes Principle
Archimedes principle states that the upthrust acting on a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaced and acts in the upward direction at the centre of mass of the displaced fluid.
Free Body Diagram of SNEK
We identified three possible cases for SNEK:
- Positive buoyancy: upthrust > weight
- Neutral buoyancy: upthrust = weight
- Negative buoyancy: upthrust < weight
Eventually, we decided that we should aim to achieve positive buoyancy because in the event of a power failure, we will still be able to retrieve SNEK as it is likely to float back up to the surface of the water body. Moreover, if SNEK was to sink, there is a risk of it damaging the marine life at the bottom of the sea which we do not want.