Ohio-Class Submarine Research Paper

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Stealthy, fast, and agile, a single Ohio-class submarine, with its normal armament, can destroy the entirety of North Korea. And the U.S. Navy bolsters a fleet of 14 of them. These vessels are one of the most feared ships in the entire U.S. fleet; however, a great amount of science is required to operate and build these ships. Although an Ohio-class submarine may seem like magic, it actually implements and uses important scientific concepts such as waves, friction, and buoyant force. “...Waves are a disturbances that propagate energy through a medium” (Staroscik). One example of waves in these types of submarines is for sonar. Sonar works by emitting periodic sound waves through the water. The waves bounce off objects in the water back to …show more content…

One example of buoyant force is in the type of material used to build the submarine. In order for the submarine to float, the average density of the vessel must be lower than the density of the water, which is one. Because submarines can also submerge, the submarine must also be sturdy to resist the pressure when underwater. Thus, the Ohio-class submarine has two hulls built from steel or titanium and has ballast tanks between the hulls and in other open spaces which can hold air or water. A second example of buoyant force in a submarine is when it submerges. In order to submerge, it uses the ballast tanks. When the submarine floats, the ballast tanks are filled with air; however, when it wants to submerge, the valves open allowing water to flow in until the density of the submarine is higher than the water. Finally, if it wants to resurface, compressed air will force the water out, causing the density to be lower than the water. Another example of buoyant force in these ships is the size of the submarine. If the volume of the submarine is larger but the mass remains the same or if the mass is smaller but the volume remains the same, the density will drop, helping the craft float; however, if the density becomes too low, the submarine will lose its ability to submerge. Thus, the size of the submarine is very important - if it is too big or small, it may lose the two abilities which make it so powerful. As you can see. Buoyant force plays a major role in whether this submarine can float or submarine. As you can see, buoyant force plays a major role in whether this submarine can float or

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