system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Help settle a debate i am having: Does the way weight is distributed in an object affect how buoyant it is in water?

I saw a picture of a refrigerator that had floated and flipped over during the recent hurricane. My dad said he was surprised it would float away, particularly cause the  heavy mechanicals are at the bottom of the refrigerator, but i told him i dont think thats relevant.

So heres the hypothetical scenario. We have two refrigerator sized prisms standing side by side and the water level is steadily rising. Object A has a big lead weight sitting inside, at the bottom, while object B has the same lead weight, but it is located towards the top of the object. The weight and volume of the two objects is otherwise identical. The two objects are mostly hollow and can float in water. As the water level rises, at some point these objects begin to lift off the ground. Will one lift off the ground before the other, or will they both lift off the ground at the same time?

Thanks for any replies.
gpt
If the volume and weight are the same, they'll both experience the exact same bouyant force. 

The only thing the center of mass dictates is their orientation in the water. I.e. one with centralized center of mass will float evenly, while one with significant mass at one end would float with that end depressed to a degree (depending on the ratio).

In your scenario, they'd both begin to lift at the same time. If one of them floats at an angle, that one might drag a bit longer due to the depth of the heavier end, and so might take longer to clear the ground than the one that floated perfectly evenly, but overall they should begin to float at the same time.