DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL BANGALORE- EAST

Investigatory Project
Archimedes Principle

Subject : Physics

Name : Sukant Chandrasekaran

Class/Sec : XI/M
 Certificate

This is to certify that Sukant

Chandrasekaran a student of class XI M has
successfully completed the research on the
below mentioned project under the
guidance of Murthy Sir (subject teacher)
during year 2023-2024 in partial fulfillment
of Physics practical examination of central
board of secondary education (CBSE).
 . ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude to my Physics

teacher Murthy sir who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic
“Archimedes Principle” which has given me a
chance to spend time on learning and exploring
something different and intriguing and has great
relevance as well. The time spent on doing the
project was indeed worthwhile.
Next, I would like to thank my group members who
were always open to help and clarify on any issues
I came across without hesitation, which truly aided
in my progress to complete the project.
I sincerely thank all.
 INDEX

S.No Name Page

1 Introduc on 1
2 What is Archimedes Principle? 2
3 Archimedes Principle in daily life 3
4 Archimedes Principle Formula 4
5 Experiment 5
6 Drawbacks and Summary 8
7 Bibliography 9
 Introduction
Life of Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist,
engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. He
is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Considered the
greatest mathematician of ancient history, and one of the greatest of all time,
Archimedes anticipated modern calculus and analysis by applying the concept of
the infinitely small and the method of exhaustion to derive and rigorously prove
a range of geometrical theorems These include the area of a circle, the surface
area and volume of a sphere, the area of an ellipse and the area under a parabola.
Archimedes' other mathematical achievements include deriving an
approximation of pi, defining and investigating the Archimedean spiral, and
devising a system using exponentiation for expressing very large numbers. He is
also credited with designing innovative machines, such as his screw pump,
compound pulleys, and defensive war machines to protect his native Syracuse
from invasion

The Eureka Moment

The king had commissioned the crafting of a crown as a tribute to the gods. He gave
a carefully weighed amount of gold to a smith, who produced a beautiful crown
within due course. The king became suspicious that the craftsman had not used all
of the gold .It was a common trick to alloy gold with cheaper silver, but the King
knew no way of proving that the craftsman dishonest. He called upon his friend
Archimedes to solve the problem. Archimedes knew that gold and silver have
different densities. The trouble was that no one knew how to work out the size of an
irregularly shaped object like a crown. Whilst he was pondering this conundrum,
Archimedes went to the public baths to relax. As he slipped into the water he noticed
some spilling over the edge, and he had a sudden flash of inspiration. The displaced
water must have exactly the same volume as him. And if you know the volume of
an object you can easily calculate its density. All Archimedes had to do was find out
whether a lump of pure old, with the same volume as the crown, weighed more. The
crown would be lighter than it should be if the craftsman had deviously used some
silver instead. Archimedes, in a fit of jubilation, leapt straight out of the bath and ran
naked down the streets shouting “Eureka!” – “I’ve found it!”. The goldsmith soon
confessed and was dealt with by the King.
What is Archimedes Principle?

Archimedes principle is a law of physics formulated by Archimedes which

is fundamental to fluid mechanics .It states that the upward buoyant
force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or
partially, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces.
When simplified it means that any body , completely or partially submerged
in a fluid is acted upon by an upward force known as Bouyant Force, the
magnitude of which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
The volume of displaced fluid is equivalent to the volume of an object fully
immersed in a fluid or to that fraction of the volume below the surface for
an object partially submerged in a liquid. The weight of this displaced
portion of the fluid is equivalent to the magnitude of the buoyant force.
When the buoyant force on a body floating in a liquid or gas is also
equivalent in magnitude to the weight of the floating object and is opposite
in direction; the object neither rises nor sinks but when the buoyant force is
lesser/more than the weight of the object then the object rises/sinks in the
fluid . This is why a balloon floats in the air(fluid) and a heavy ship floats
in the sea.
Archimedes Principle in Daily Life
Archimedes principle is a fundamental law that governs the interactions
between fluids and solids. Hence it is seen everywhere in our daily life here
are some examples :

1. For example, a ship that is launched

sinks into the ocean until the weight of the
water it displaces is just equal to its own
weight. As the ship is loaded, it sinks
deeper, displacing more water, and so the
magnitude of the buoyant force
continuously matches the weight of the ship and its cargo.
2. A lactometer is a device used to measure the
density and impurity of milk. The lactometer
typically consists of a glass cylinder with a
weighted bulb at the bottom and a graduated
scale on the side. To use the lactometer, a small
sample of milk is poured into the cylinder, and
the lactometer is floated in the milk. The density
of the milk can be determined by reading the
point where the surface of the milk intersects
with the graduated scale on the side of the
cylinder. Milk with a higher fat content without
any water will have a higher density than milk with a lower fat content mixed with
water. Thus it can be found out that how much water has been mixed with the milk.
The deeper it sinks, the more impure the milk.

3. Archimedes’ principle is also applied to the

working of hot air balloons. The balloon rises in
the air when the weight of the air surrounding the
balloon is greater than its own weight, whereas if
the weight of the balloon is greater, it will start
descending. When the weight of the surrounding
air and hot air balloon is equal, it becomes
stationary. The density between the air and the
balloon is controlled by varying the amount of hot
air in the balloon.
Archimedes Principle Formula
Archimedes principle states that if a body submerged in fluids
then the fluid exerts an upward force called the buoyant force on
the body whose magnitude is equal to the fluid weight displaced
by the body.

Let the density of the fluid be ρ and

volume of the object that is submerged be V

The mass of such liquid displaced is.

Mass = Density × Volume

=ρ×V

As a result, the weight of the displaced liquid is:

Weight = Mass x Gravitational Acceleration

W=M × g

= ρ ×V× g

Bouyant Force= weight of liquid displaced = ρ ×V×g

As a result, the Bouyant force is,

.
Fb = ρ Vg
 Experiment
Aim :
To establish the relation between the loss in weight of a solid when
fully immersed in water.

Materials_Required:
A spring balance, a metal bob, a cotton thread, an overflow can, a
glass beaker, tap water, an iron stand.

Procedure:
A. Find the zero error and least count of spring balance:
1.Take an iron stand and suspend a spring balance to it.
2.Study the spring balance, its scale and its least count.
3.Record your observations. If any error, record it as ‘x’ gf.

B. Find the weight of variable mass in air:

1.Take a metal bob, tie thread to it and suspend on the hook of the
spring balance.
2.Record the weight of the mass in air. Let this weight be Wr

C. Find the weight of the variable mass immersed in tap water and
record the apparent loss in weight
1.Take a beaker and fill it with water such that the variable mass can
be fully immersed
2.As soon as the variable mass is suspended in water the weight on
spring balance scale is recorded. This loss in weight is due to
buoyancy (W2).
3.Calculate the loss in weight of the metal bob when immersed in
water.
4.Change the mass of the variable mass by adding another disc and
repeat B and C.

D. Find the water displaced when the variable mass is immersed in

water
1. Record the Initial level of water in the beaker before immersing the
mass. Let this be V1
2. Immerse the variable mass with all 4 discs so that it is fully
submerged. Record the volume as V2
3. Subtract V2 – V1 to get the volume displaced as Vd
4. Vd/4 is the volume displaced per disc of the variable mass

Observations and Calculations:

Zero error in spring balance = (x) = 0 gf.
Least count of the spring balance = 10 gf.
Density of water = 1 g/cm3
Volume displaced per disc = V2 – V1/4 = 200-175/4 = 25/4 = 6.25ml

S.no Mass Mass in Bouyant Vol. Displaced

water force
1 100gf 85gf 15gf 25/2= 12.5ml
2 150gf 130gf 20gf 25/4*3= 18.75ml
3 200gf 170gf 30gf 25ml
Conclusion:
Since the density of water is 1g/ml the volume displaced is equal to
the weight of the water displaced.
Hence it is proved that the weight of the water displaced by the metal
bob is approximately equal to the apparent loss of weight of the metal
bob in water. Archimedes’ principle is verified.

Precautions:
1.Carefully study the spring balance used for the experiment.
2.Do not allow the suspended solid mass i.e. metal bob/stone to touch
the base and sides of the overflow beaker.
 Drawbacks

Archimedes' principle does not consider the surface tension

(capillarity) acting on the body. Moreover, Archimedes' principle has
been found to break down in complex fluids.
There is an exception to Archimedes' principle known as the bottom (or
side) case. This occurs when a side of the object is touching the bottom
(or side) of the vessel it is submerged in, and no liquid seeps in along
that side. In this case, the net force has been found to be different from
Archimedes' principle, owing to the fact that since no fluid seeps in on
that side, the symmetry of pressure is broken.

Summary

Archimedes principle is a fundamental law of fluid mechanics which

states the buoyant force acting on a body is equal to the weight of the
fluid displaced. It was formulated by a Greek mathematician
Archimedes when he was challenged by the king to find if the crown
was made of genuine gold. It explains why some objects tend to float
or sink in a liquid. This principle is used in engineering ships, hot air
balloons to finding the purity of milk.
 Bibliography
Archimedes' principle - Wikipedia

Archimedes’ principle | Descrip on & Facts | Britannica

What is Archimedes principle? How does a ship float? (merchantnavydecoded.com)

Eureka (uakron.edu)

Archimedes principle: Defini on, Deriva on, Applica ons here (testbook.com)