Archimedes' Principle

Introduction

"A body that dives into a fluid experiences an ascending force called thrust and
that is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by it”. This is the state which
describes the buoyancy force and Archimedes’ Principle. It was discovered by
Archimedes in the third century B.C. Where, the strength of buoyancy has its
nature in the pressures exerted by the fluid on the body, when it is submerged
inside. The buoyant force on several objects is measured by weighing the fluid
(water) displaced by the object as it is submerged. The buoyant force is also
determined by measuring the difference between the object's weight in air and
its apparent weight in water.

Objectives

Determine theoretical and experimentally Archimedes’ principle.

Materials:

Computer with Internet Access

Calculator

Procedure

Part I: Mass, Volume, and Density

THEORY

The density ( ρ ) of an object depends on its mass (m) and volume (V):

m
ρ=
V

1. Access the Archimedes’ Principle Lab site https://go-

lab.gw.utwente.nl/production/splash/build/splash.html?preview, click
on “Density” link and select the mass of each of the objects you want to
know.

2. List the objects in order from least to greatest mass: Balsa Wood to
Titanium

3. Calculate the density of each object. List the 2 objects (A,B) in order from
least to greatest density.
 4. Group the objects according to the type of material of which they are
made.

Part II: Finding the Buoyant Force Using Archimedes' Principle

Archimedes' Principle states that the buoyant force on an object which is

completely or partially immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced by the object.

For each of the objects, find the weight of the fluid (water) displaced by each
one:

1. Access the Archimedes’ Principle Lab site https://go-

lab.gw.utwente.nl/production/splash/build/splash.html?preview, click
on “Archimedes” link and select the mass (you can also select the
density) of each of the objects

2. Once you have selected mass, volume and density of object, with this
experiment laboratory online, you can also select type of fluid among:
Acetone ( ρ=0.79 g / cm3 ¿, Water ( ρ=1 g /cm3 ) and Chlorine ( ρ=1.49 g /cm3 )
and of course compare behavior between 2 objects

3. Press the “Run” button and see that simulation gives all results: Mass
and volume of the fluid.

4. Multiply the mass by the acceleration due to gravity to find the weight of
the displaced fluid.

5. Repeat this procedure for the other objects. Also find the weight of the
displaced fluid when only half the brass cylinder is submerged.

6. List the objects in order from least buoyant force to greatest buoyant
force.

Part III: Finding the Buoyant Force by Finding the Upward Force

THEORY

When an object is submerged in a fluid, the apparent weight of the object is less
than the weight in air because of the upward buoyant force. Thus the buoyant
force can be calculated by finding the difference between the weight of the
object in air and the apparent weight of the object when it is submerged in
water.

PROCEDURE
Figure 1. Force
1. Access the Archimedes’ Principle Lab site https://go-
lab.gw.utwente.nl/production/splash/build/splash.html?preview. Click on
“Forces” link and select the same mass (you can also select the density)
of each of the objects in study.

2. Press “Run” button and the balance will read the same as when the
object is placed on top of the pan. Multiply the mass by the acceleration
due to gravity.

3. While the object is still hanging from the balance, submerge the object in
a beaker of fluid so that the entire object is under fluid but it is not
touching the sides or bottom of the beaker. Record the reading on the
scale and multiply by gravity to get the apparent weight.

4. Calculate the buoyant force by taking the difference between the weight
in air and the weight in water.

5. Repeat these steps for all the objects.

6. Compare the buoyant forces found by this method to those found using
Archimedes' Principle.

Archimedes’’ Principle Calculations:

Taking by example figure 2, we can develop all calculations

Figure 2 . Archimedes’’ Principle Experiment analysis.

E=ωo −ω1

ω o=mo∗g
ω 1=m 1∗g
Where:
ω o :Weight before immersing it fluid
ω 1 :Weight immersing it fluid
g :Gravity force=9.18 m/s2

Clicking “Run” Button

Figure 3. Finding the Buoyant Force by Finding the Upward Force

 Figure 4. Finding the Buoyant Force Using Archimedes' Principle

Table 1. Data Analysis

Trial Before immersing it in Fluid Immersing in Fluid

Mass (g) Force E Fluid Mass Force (N) Fluid
(N) (cm3) (g) (cm3)
1 300 2.94 0 300 2.94 300
2 154 1.51 0 154 1.51 154

QUESTIONS

1. In each case, is the buoyant force that was determined using the upward
force equal to the weight of the water displaced?

2. Which objects had the same buoyant force when submerged? Why?

3. How was the buoyant force for the totally submerged brass cylinder
related to the buoyant force for the half-submerged brass cylinder?

4. What does the buoyant force depend on: The mass of the object, or its
volume, or its density, or the material from which it is made?

REFERENCES
1. Paul A. Stokstad, PASCO (2019, October). Archimedes’ Principle Experiment
https://www.pasco.com/prodCatalog/EX/EX-9909_archimedes-principle-
experiment/index.cfm#

2. Archimedes’’ Principle Experiment Laboratory Online. Retrieved October 15, 2019,

from https://go-lab.gw.utwente.nl/production/splash/build/splash.html?preview.