Here's a breakdown:

* Buoyant Force: This is the upward force exerted by a fluid on an object submerged in it. It's directly related to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

* Weight: This is the downward force due to gravity acting on the object's mass.

In simpler terms:

An object floats when it pushes aside enough fluid to weigh the same as itself. If the object is denser than the fluid, it will sink because it displaces less fluid than its own weight. If it's less dense, it will float because it displaces more fluid than its own weight.