A body floats in a liquid if the buoyant force is :

A body floats in a liquid when the upward buoyant force is equal to the object's weight [1]. According to Archimedes' Principle, the buoyant force exerted on a body is equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces [1]. For an object to float, it must displace a volume of liquid whose weight is exactly equal to the object's own weight, thereby balancing the downward gravitational force. If the buoyant force is less than the weight, the object sinks [1]. While some sources suggest an object rises if the buoyant force is greater than its weight, it eventually reaches a state of equilibrium at the surface where the forces balance out to maintain flotation. Therefore, the fundamental condition for a body to remain floating in equilibrium is that the buoyant force equals its weight [1].

Sources

1. [1] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Exploring Forces > Activity 5.13: Let us investigate > p. 76