A solid metal sphere is completely immersed in water. It is slowly lowered deeper into the water without changing its orientation. How does the magnitude of the buoyant force on the sphere change, assuming temperature remains constant?
(a) It increases linearly with depth because hydrostatic pressure increases with depth
(b) It decreases with depth since the downward pressure on its top grows larger than the upward pressure at its bottom
(c) It remains the same because the volume of water displaced (and hence its weight) is unchanged
(d) It increases slightly with depth because water becomes denser under higher pressure, so the displaced water weighs more