Flip flops are one of the most popular types of footwear to put on when the weather warms up. They are the best type of shoes to wear to the beach or the pool. They dry up easily so you can use them in areas that have water. One might wonder what happens to flip flops when they fall in water. Do they float or sink? And what determines if they float or sink?
Do flip flops sink in water? Most of the flip flops do not sink in water. But, flip flops are made from different materials. These materials play an important role in determining if flip flops sink in water.
There are also other factors that have to be considered. The following are some of the factors that determine whether or not flip flops sink in water:
The factors that determine whether or not flip flops sink in water
Materials used to make flip flops
Flip flops are made from a wide range of materials. A large majority of them are made of rubber. Other materials used to make flip flops include leather, plastic, foam, fabric, suede, among other materials. All of these materials float on water. It would be very hard to make a pair of flip flops made of any of these materials to float on water. Sinking flip flops would have to be made of very dense materials such as stone and iron, that sink in water. This would be very impractical since flip flops made out of these materials would be very uncomfortable. The material flip flops are made of plays a very big role in making sure that flip flops float.
The shape of flip flops
Flip flops have a very simple design. They have a thin rubber sole that has two strings that run into a Y-shape from either side of the foot to the gap between the big toe and the next toe. The sole is flat for stability. This flat shape makes it very hard for flip flops to sink in water regardless of the material they are made of. When a flip flop falls in water, it floats the same way a raft does. Their flat soles have a large surface area, making it very difficult for the surface tension of the water to be broken for them to sink. The only way the flip flop will sink is if you put a very heavy object on it.
The weight of flip flops
Flip flops are very light in weight. Most of the time that we have them on, we do not even feel them. Flip flops are designed this way so that they are more comfortable. Their light weight makes it impossible for flip flops to sink in water. Flip flops would have to be much heavier for them to sink in water. Their weight is one of the main reasons why flip flops are so popular. The thought of swapping light flip flops that make walking completely effortless for flip flops that are so heavy that they sink in water is unthinkable.
Advantages of floating flip flops
- Can be used as floaters – The materials used to make flip flops float on water. This gives you a wide range of things you can do with them. If you have worn out flip flops, you can use them as floaters. You can use them for your DIY projects to make objects such as floating cup holders, making your experience at the pool even more fun. You can also use them to make floaters to aid you in swimming. The floaters to keep you afloat while teaching yourself how to swim. These are just some of the many things you can do with flip flops because they can float on water.
- More comfortable – Flip flops cannot sink in water because of the material they are made of and their shape. The large surface area of the bottom of the flip flops makes it impossible for them to sink. For flip flops to sink would have to be very heavy or have a different design with a narrow base, or be made using dense material. All these options are unimaginable since they would make flip flops very uncomfortable. Imagine having to wear flip flops made of stone or ones that weigh two pounds. Could there be anything more uncomfortable? It is therefore probably a good thing that we do not have flip flops that sink in water.
- Do not sink – Floating flip flops are easy to retrieve because they are on the surface of the water. If your flip flop falls in a pool of water, you can simply retrieve it from the water surface. The scenario would be different if flip flops could sink. It would be much harder to get your flip flop if it sank in water.
Disadvantages of floating flip flops
The tendency of flip flops to float on water also has some downsides. The main disadvantage is that they pollute water bodies. Many worn-out flip flops are dumped in water bodies. Since they float on water, the flip flops are carried by ocean currents. Flip flops are therefore a danger to marine life. Sometimes, the flip flops can be transported halfway across the world by ocean currents and deposited on the beaches of other countries. Beaches, therefore, get polluted because flip flops float on water.
Final Thoughts
The design, material, and weight of flip flops simply do not allow them to sink. Flip flops are designed with the comfort of people in mind. They have flat soles so that people are very stable while walking, and objects with flat surfaces tend to float on water. The materials used to make flip flops are also buoyant and not dense since dense flip flops would be very uncomfortable. They are also lightweight, and lightweight objects tend to stay afloat. Having flip flops that sink would mean that either one or all of these aspects of their design is done away with. In short, if flip flops could sink in water, they would generally be undesirable.