A piece of wood is submerged deep inside a long column of water and released. It will move upwards

Step-by-step solution

When the piece of wood is released, the forces acting on it are the upward buoyant force F_B , the downward weight mg , and the downward viscous drag force F_v . The net upward force is given by F_ net = F_B - mg - F_v . Initially, the velocity is zero, so the viscous drag F_v is zero. Since the density of wood is less than that of water, F_B > mg , and the wood accelerates upwards. As the velocity of the wood increases, the viscous drag force F_v also increases. Consequently, the net upward force F_ net decreases,