Score: 0
Hull Integrity
Air ●●●
Depth: 0m
PUMP TO SINK. VENT TO RISE. HOVER FOR CONTRACTS!
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About Ballast Boss

Pump ballast to sink and vent to rise in this free online buoyancy game about Archimedes principle, neutral buoyancy, ocean density layers and Boyles law.

Ballast Boss is a free online buoyancy game where you pilot a research submarine through a layered ocean, flooding and venting ballast tanks to chase hover contracts. It models the same physics every submarine, scuba diver and autonomous glider juggles: Archimedes' principle, water density and gas compression.

Every mechanic maps to a law. Buoyant force equals the weight of displaced water, so when flooded ballast makes you denser than the layer you sit in you sink, and when you are lighter you rise. Neutral buoyancy is the exact balance the contracts demand. The thermocline and brine basin show how temperature and salinity reshape seawater density, and the shrinking air pocket on your hull obeys Boyle's law: volume falls as pressure climbs roughly one atmosphere every ten meters. Cargo sort puzzles train density prediction, because wood at 0.6 and ice at 0.92 times the density of water float while iron at 7.9 plunges.

This is not just submarine trivia. Density stratification drives global ocean circulation, locks nutrients below the mixed layer and lets fish, plankton and drifting jellies park at precise depths spending almost no energy. Naval architects, saturation divers and ocean-observing robots all live by the same ballast math you balance here.

Key Science Concepts

What You'll Learn

Grade Level: Middle School, High School

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How to play

  1. Pump & Vent Hold PUMP to flood your ballast tanks and sink. Hold VENT to blow the water out and rise.
  2. Hover Contracts Match the green NEUTRAL tick on your ballast gauge and hold inside a gold contract band to bank survey pay.
  3. Density Sort When cargo slips loose, tap FLOAT or SINK before it drifts past. Ice barely floats; iron plummets.
  4. Watch Your Air Air drains faster the deeper you dive. Catch O2 bubbles and tap the AIR gauge for a limited emergency scrubber.
  5. Read the Layers Cold thermocline water buoys you up; the brine basin is so dense you can barely sink through it. Boyle's law shrinks your lift as you descend.
  6. Dodge & Survive Mines puncture your hull and jellyfish foul your pumps. Below crush depth the hull groans and takes damage.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ballast Boss free to play?
Yes. Ballast Boss is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, install or account needed.
What grade level is Ballast Boss for?
Ballast Boss is designed for Middle School, High School students and works well as a classroom activity or homework.
Does Ballast Boss work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Ballast Boss runs in any modern browser on desktop computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones in landscape mode.

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