How Does The Boat Thing Work In Pirates?

In the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, there is a scene where Jack Sparrow and Will Turner carry a boat underwater, using it as a breathing bubble. This has sparked a debate about whether this scenario is physically possible. The concept is based on buoyancy, an upward force that causes objects to float. In the movie, the buoyancy of the seawater opposed the weight of the upturned boat, creating a pocket of air for Sparrow and Turner to breathe.

While this trick can work in reality, certain conditions must be met. Firstly, the air under the boat makes it buoyant, so heavy loads would be needed to keep it submerged. Secondly, the water pressure increases with depth, causing the air trapped under the boat to shrink, reducing the breathable air supply. Lastly, the boat would not be perfectly sealed, and water would eventually pass through cracks while air escapes through holes.

The boat trick is physically possible

In the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean", there is a scene in which Jack Sparrow and Will Turner carry a boat underwater, using it as a breathing bubble. While this may seem fantastical, the boat trick is indeed physically possible, albeit under specific conditions.

Firstly, let's understand the concept of buoyancy, which is the force that causes objects to float. Buoyant force depends on the volume of the object immersed and the density of the fluid. In the case of Sparrow and Turner's boat, the upward buoyant force applied by the seawater opposed the weight of the upturned boat, resulting in a pocket of air that allowed them to breathe.

For the boat trick to work, certain conditions must be met. Firstly, the water pressure increases with depth, so the air trapped under the boat will compress, reducing the available breathing space. Therefore, this trick is more feasible at shallower depths. Secondly, the air under the boat will make it buoyant, tending to float to the surface. To counteract this, heavy loads can be attached to the boat, although this will make it more challenging to move and balance. Lastly, the boat will not be perfectly sealed, so water will eventually pass through cracks, and air will escape through holes, limiting the time this trick can be sustained.

While it may be challenging to achieve, the boat trick in "Pirates of the Caribbean" is not purely fantasy. With the right conditions and preparations, it is physically possible to create an air bubble underwater using an overturned boat, providing a temporary breathing space.

Air trapped under the boat creates a breathing bubble

Air trapped under a boat can indeed create a breathing bubble, and this phenomenon has been depicted in popular culture, such as in the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl". In one scene, the characters Jack and Will walk underwater with a boat on their heads, breathing air trapped inside.

While this scene is physically possible, it is not very realistic as depicted. The boat would need to be very heavy to counteract the upward buoyancy force of the air trapped inside. In reality, it would be challenging to get such a heavy boat into the water in the first place. Additionally, the volume of air in the boat would compress as it goes deeper underwater, affecting buoyancy.

However, it is worth noting that people have survived underwater by breathing air trapped in similar situations. For example, in 2013, a man named Harrison Okene survived for 60 hours underwater in an air bubble inside a capsized tugboat. The bubble slowly shrank as the waters rose from the ceiling of a tiny toilet and an adjoining bedroom. Okene was eventually rescued by divers.

The physics behind this involves the diffusion of gases through water. The composition of air in the bubble will be close to the atmosphere outside if the surface of the bubble is large enough, allowing for the removal of excessive carbon dioxide and the intake of oxygen necessary to support human life. While a bubble of air underwater will eventually dissolve and disappear, this process can take a long time, providing a potential source of breathable air for someone trapped underwater.

Buoyancy and weight affect the boat's movement

In the movie *Pirates of the Caribbean*, there is a scene where Jack and Will walk at the bottom of the sea with a boat on their heads. Many have questioned the feasibility of this scene from a physical standpoint.

The buoyancy of an object in a fluid (liquid or gas) is the force directed against gravity that it experiences when submerged. Buoyancy is what makes it easier to lift a person in water than when they are out of it. The upward buoyant force is counteracted by the weight of the object, resulting in a reduced resultant force.

Archimedes’ principle states that the buoyant force corresponds to the weight of the displaced liquid. The more an object is submerged in a liquid, the greater the buoyancy acting on it. The buoyancy is due to the different hydrostatic pressures at the top and bottom of a submerged body. The upward-acting force on the bottom of the body is greater than the downward-acting force on the top, resulting in a net upward force.

The buoyancy of a boat can be increased by modifying the shape of its hull. Deeper hulls can create more stability, while shallower ones may carry more weight. Boats with a wide, flat bottom generally work best for carrying heavy loads, like barges. On the other hand, boats with deep keels are more stable in rough conditions.

The buoyancy and weight of a boat affect its movement. For a boat to float level, the centre of buoyancy must lie in the same vertical transverse plane as the centre of gravity. The weight of a boat is the downward force acting on it, while buoyancy is the upward force of all the hydrostatic pressures on the hull. The vertical components of the water pressures on unit areas combine to form an upward force equal to the weight of the water displaced by the underwater hull volume.

In the scene from *Pirates of the Caribbean*, the boat is completely submerged and upside down, with Jack and Will inside it. The buoyancy of the boat would have to be counteracted by a very heavy weight to keep it underwater. The volume of air in the boat would need to be displaced by a mass of a tonne. Therefore, the scene is not feasible from a physical standpoint without the addition of a significant amount of weight.

Water pressure increases with depth

In the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, there is a scene where Jack and Will walk at the bottom of the sea with a boat on their heads. Many have questioned whether this scene is physically possible. While the scene is creative and entertaining, it is not entirely realistic.

Firstly, it is important to understand why water pressure increases with depth. Water pressure increases with depth because the water above weighs down on the water below. As you go deeper into a body of water, there is more water above you, and the weight of this water applies pressure. This pressure is due to an increase in hydrostatic pressure, the force per unit area exerted by a liquid on an object. For every 33 feet (10.06 meters) you descend, the pressure increases by one atmosphere.

Now, let's apply this understanding to the boat scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. The boat in the movie would need to be extremely heavy to counteract the upward buoyancy force created by the air trapped inside. It is unlikely that two people could provide enough downward force to submerge the boat without it floating back up. Additionally, as the boat is submerged deeper, the air inside would compress and become denser, further increasing the buoyancy and making it even harder to keep the boat underwater.

While the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean may not be physically accurate, it is important to note that the concept of using air pockets underwater, such as in diving bells, is a real and practical application of physics. However, these devices rely on sufficient weight to counteract the buoyancy of the trapped air.

The boat will not be perfectly sealed

In reality, the boat would need to be weighed down to counteract the buoyancy of the air trapped inside. This would be a difficult task, as the boat would need to be heavy enough to sink, but still be light enough to be carried by two people. Even if this were possible, the trapped air would compress as the boat went deeper underwater, reducing the available air to breathe.

The physics of the scene have been questioned by many, and while it is agreed that the scene is unrealistic, it is not entirely impossible. The buoyancy of the boat and the air inside could be manipulated to create a similar situation, but it would be a challenging task. The boat would need to be weighed down, and the air bubble would need to be carefully controlled to ensure enough oxygen was available.

The basic principle of using a boat as an air pocket underwater is sound, and similar methods have been used in the past. Diving bells, for example, use the same concept of trapping air underwater. However, these are typically weighted down and do not require a person to carry them underwater.

Overall, while the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean stretches the limits of reality, it is not entirely impossible. With some clever manipulation of physics and the right tools, a similar situation could be achieved. However, it would be a challenging and complex task, and the boat would need to be carefully designed and prepared to ensure success.

Frequently asked questions