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 - W liquid = γ x displaced volume
Summation forces vertical: ∑ 𝐹𝑣 = 0 ↑ +
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

𝐵𝐹 = 𝑊

𝛾𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝑥 𝑉𝑑 = 𝛾𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑥 𝑉𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡

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

𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒓
𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 = (Equation 2)
𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒓− 𝑾𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓

𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔
𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅
𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 = (Equation 3)
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/ (W air - W water), if W air is the
weight in air, and W water 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
Mass in air
(g)
Weight in
air (N)
Mass in
water (g)
Weight in
water (N)
Buoyant
Force (N)
Object
sinks or
floats?
Volume
displaced
(mL)
Specific
Gravity
using Eq. 2
Specific
Weight of
Object
Specific
Gravity
using Eq. 3
Error
 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
551 MF Jhocson Street, Sampaloc, Manila
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
FLUID MECHANICS LABORATORY

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)

Mass of egg (g)

Number of Spoonful of
Trials Depth of floatation
Table salt

1
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