Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

False bottom

Secret partition in a container

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

A false bottom (or false back) is an internal partition in a container, typically at the bottom of a drawer, suitcase or similar item, enabling the concealment of objects from a cursory examination of the item's contents. A false bottom may be present if the internal dimensions of a container do not match its external dimensions after taking into account the thicknesses of constituent materials and structures used to build the object.

The term false bottom can also refer to the deep scattering layer in the ocean, a phenomenon where a layer of marine organisms deep in the ocean can be mistaken by sonar for the seabed. In Polar research, the false bottom refers to the type of thin sea ice which is formed underwater at the interface of low-salinity meltwater and saline seawater, typically during summer season.

Watch videos about False bottomExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article False bottom, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.