NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

NAME: ________________________________________ DATE: _____________________

GROUP # _________________ SECTION: _________________

EXPERIMENT # 7
DETERMINATION OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY THRU BUOYANCY PRINCIPLE
I. OBJECTIVES:
1. To determine the relative density or specific gravity of various objects
using principle of buoyancy.
2. To compare the weight of an object in air and when immersed in water.
3. To validate the calculated specific gravity by correlating it with literature
values.
II. APPARATUS:
Beaker Weighing scale (digital or spring balance)
Objects made of aluminum, wood, steel or other materials.

III. THEORY:
The buoyancy of a body immersed in a fluid is that property which will determine
whether the body will sink, rise or float. Archimedes established the analysis over 2000
years ago. The results are the two laws of buoyancy discovered by Archimedes in the
third century B.C.:
1. A body immersed in a fluid experiences a vertical buoyant force equal to the
weight of the fluid it displaces.

Figure 1 – Illustration of a
floating and submerged
body in a liquid. FB is
buoyant force and FG is the
gravitational force.

2. A floating body displaces its own weight in the fluid in which it floats.
Buoyant force can be expressed as: BF = W air - Wliquid = γ x displaced volume
Summation forces vertical: ∑ F v =0↑+¿
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

BF=W

γ fluid x V =γ object x V
d object

sp . gr . of object
Draft , D= xH
sp . gr . of liquid

W air
specific gravity = (Equation 2)
W air −W water

mass
volume displaced (Equation 3)
specific gravity =
ρwater

Figure 2 – Illustration of
weighing an object in air
and weighing in water, a
fundamental method in
computing specific gravity
of an object.

The basic idea in finding specific gravity is to weigh a sample in air, and then immersed
in water, as shown in Figure 2. Then the specific gravity is W air/ (Wair - Wwater), if Wair is the
weight in air, and Wwater the weight immersed. The denominator is just the buoyant force,
the weight of a volume of water equal to the volume of the sample. This can be carried
out with an ordinary balance, but special balances, such as the Jolly balance, have been
created specifically for this application. Adding an extra weight to the sample allows
measurement of specific gravities less than 1.

Reference: Fluid Mechanics by White and Al Shemmeri

Fluid Mechanics by Frank M. White
Hydraulics Principle by Technical Learning College
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

IV. PROCEDURE:

Part 1: Apparent Weight

1. Prepare at least six (6) objects that will be used in the experiment,
preferably object that can be placed inside a graduated cylinder or beaker.
2. Determine the mass of these objects using triple beam balance or digital
weighing scale.
3. Fill the beaker or graduated cylinder with water to a half-level.
4. Determine and record the mass of the graduated cylinder or beaker
containing water.
5. Gently drop the object inside the vessel. Note if the object will sink or float.
6. Repeat the same procedure for other objects. Record the data using the
table below.

V. DATA & RESULTS

Object 1 Object 2 Object 3 Object 4 Object 5 Object 6

Parameter
5 peso 10 peso stone key eraser marble
Mass in air
8 9 6 5 17 6
(g)
Weight in
0.079 0.088 0.059 0.049 0.167 0.059
air (N)
Mass in
7 8 5 4 17 5
water (g)
Weight in
0.069 0.079 0.049 0.039 0.167 0.049
water (N)
Buoyant
0.00981 0.00981 0.0196 0.00981 0.0883 0.0196
Force (N)
Object
sinks or sinks sinks sinks sinks sinks sinks
floats?
Volume
displaced 1 1 2 1 9 2
(mL)
Specific
Gravity 7.9 9.78 5.9 3.5 5.9
using Eq. 2
Specific
Weight of 77.5 95.94 57.88 34.34 57.88
Object
Specific 7 8 2.5 9 1.89 2.5
Gravity
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY
using Eq. 3
Error

Part 2: Do eggs float?

1. Fill the large beaker with water to half to ¾ volume.
2. Gently place the egg in the vessel and observe if it will float or sink.
3. Using a separate beaker, fill again with the same volume of water.
4. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt to the water and stir.
5. Gently drop the egg in salted water. Observe the action of the egg.
6. Repeat procedure # 4 until the eggs float. Add one spoonful table salt at a
time. Record the number of spoons of salt added to the water and its
corresponding depth of floatation of egg.

Salted Water
Pure Water
Volume of Water (Ml) 350 410

Mass of egg (g) 59 59g

Number of Spoonful of
Trials Depth of floatation
Table salt

1 2
2
3

Part 3: Coke Float

1. Prepare a regular coke in can and coke zero in can.
2. Fill the bucket with water to half level.
3. Drop the regular coke gently. Then drop the coke zero. Observe what
happens to these two soft drink cans.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

VI. COMPUTATIONS

VII. GRAPH
Part 1:
1. Plot the computed specific gravity of object versus the buoyant force
2. Plot the computed specific gravity of object versus the volume displaced
3. Plot the buoyant force versus the volume displaced of objects used in this
experiment
Part 2:
1. Prepare a graph showing the relationship between the number of tablespoons
of salt and the depth of floatation of the egg.
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

VIII. DRAWING:

IX. OBSERVATION & CONCLUSION:

 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

X. PICTURES