GateWay CC

BUOYANCY FORCE
ARCHIMEDE PRINCIPLE
PHY101 Physics Lab:

Purpose

To investigate the Buoyancy Force for various types of liquids

To determine the density various liquids

Theory
The buoyant force upward on a submerged object F b due to the fluid in which the object
is submerged is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the submerged object.
Fb m fluid g

m fluid D fluid Vobject

Substitute mass of fluid with:

Fb D fluid Vobject g

(1)

Dfluid is the density of the fluid in (kg/m 3)

Vobject - is the volume of the object assuming that object is completely submerged in
(m3)
g is the acceleration due to gravity in (m/s 2)
Mathematical model for buoyant force shown above in equation 1 is called Archimedes
Principle. This principle can be used to design a simple method of measurement of
density of a liquid. The idea here is to find the buoyant force on an object when it is
totally submerged in a fluid. Then we measure the volume of the same object using
length metering tools. With these two data sets we can determine the density of a fluid:

D fluid

Fb

(2)

Vobject g

What is the procedure for buoyancy force measurement? If we measure the weight of
an object when submerged, we will find that the object weighs less than in air. The
difference in weighs is due to the fact then when we measure the weight of the object
under the water we measure the weight of minus the buoyant force. If we use the
spring scale then the mass under water m fluid, will be less than the mass on air m air. The
difference between the two masses is due to the buoyant force on the object. Using
these two measurement data we can now calculate buoyant force:

Fb mair g m fluid g g (mair m fluidr )

If we substitute this force into the equation 2, for density:

D fluid

GWC Buoyancy.doc

g (mair m fluid )

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Vobject g

(mair m fluidr )
Vobject
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GateWay CC
If the submerged object is a cube then:
Vobject l h w
Where: l, h, and w are the length, height and the width of the cube.
If the submerged object is a cylinder then:

Vobject R 2 H
Where: R is the radius of the cylinder, and H is the height of cylinder.

We are going to use various types of liquids in order to determine how the buoyant force
varies with the kind of liquid used.

Procedure
For Part I Determine the mass of an object on air (m air), and its volume.
For four different size objects (cubes and cylinders), measure their mass on air using
the balance spring scale. For objects with mass less than 250 mg, use spring scale
with 0 250 mg range. For objects with mass more than 250 mg, use spring scale with
0 500 mg range. Using the meter stick or other length measuring tools, determine
their volumes. Record the data on table 1 and convert each mass in kg, and volume in
m3.
Table 1
Object

Mass on air
( kg )

Volume
( m3 )

Object 1
Object 2
Object 3
Object 4

For Part II Determine the mass of an object when immersed (m fluid) in various fluids.

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GateWay CC
For all the fluids provided, measure the mass of each object under the fluid. See figure
above. Use spring scale balance for this measurement. Before we change the fluid on
the beaker, we should dry the beaker and the object each time. Record the data on
table 2.
Table 2
Mass
( kg )

Mass
( kg )

Mass
( kg )

Mass
( kg )

Mass
( kg )

Fresh water

Salt water

Oil

Milk

Sprite

Object
Object 1
Object 2
Object 3
Object 4

For Part III - Determine the density of each fluid.

Using the data collected in parts 1 and 2, and equation:

D fluid

mair m fluidr
Vobject

determine the density of each fluid tested, and complete table 3.

Table 3
Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Fresh water

Salt water

Oil

Milk

Sprite

Object
Object 1
Object 2
Object 3
Object 4
Average

For Part IV Accepted Values for Density.

Search on the web or your textbook and find the densities accepted values, of each
fluid tested and complete table 4.
Table 4
Source of the data

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Density
( kg/m3 )

Website or textbook

Fresh water

Salt water

Oil

Milk

Sprite

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GateWay CC
For Part V Difference Between Calculated and Accepted Values for Density.
Using average data from part III and accepted values from part IV, calculate the
absolute and relative difference between them.
Absolute Difference Calculated Value Accepted Value

Relative Difference

Absolute Difference
100%
Accepted Value

Complete table 5.
Table 5

Liquid

Calculated
Density
( kg/m3 )

Accepted
Density
( kg/m3 )

Absolute
Difference
( kg/m3 )

Relative
Difference
( kg/m3 )

Fresh water

Salt water

Oil

Milk

Fresh water
Salt water
Oil
Milk
Sprite

Questions
1. Does the buoyant force on an object change as the depth that the object is submerged
increases? Explain.

2. If an object floats in water, what is the relationship between the object's density and the
water's density?

4. In which direction does the buoyant force act on the objects when they are immersed in the
fluids during this lab?
a) Vertically upwards
b) Vertically downwards
c) Horizontally to the right
d) Horizontally to the left
5. Lead has greater density than iron, and both are denser than water. Is the buoyant force on
a lead object greater than, equal to or less than the buoyant force on an iron object of the
same volume? Explain.

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Last Updated: 12/3/2016