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Archimedes Principle
This principle states that when a body is immersed in a fluid it experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid that the body has displaced. In this theorem the relative density of water is equal to one. Thus any body of a density less than one will float. The relative density of the human body varies with age. The infant or young child has a relative density of approximately 0.6 and so flotation is assured. (Please note: a child's buoyancy will not prevent them from drowning. Please watch children at all times, especially around water.) The smaller the relative density the easier it is to float. In adolescence and early adulthood the relative density of the body is approximately 0.97. The body can float, though to do so becomes more difficult. In the later years with an increase in adipose tissue the relative density of the body tends to return towards 0.8 and so it becomes easier to float again.

Each individual body part and tissue type has its own relative density. Some body parts, such as the arms, are less dense and float easily, while other parts, such as the legs, are denser and tend to sink. Thus the importance of studying the density of the person undertaking activity in water becomes apparent. In certain disabilities there are marked alterations in the density of body parts, as for example changes in density in the lower limbs of children with spina bifida or muscular dystrophy.
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