FORCES AND FLUIDS II

BUOYANCY & ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Explain sinking and floating using the concepts of buoyant force and Archimedes’
Principle. (C7.C.1)

Time Allotted: 1 min Actual Time: __________

How does an iron-made ship float? Can you tell us what identifies whether an object is
going to sink or float? These are just some questions that will be answered as you go on
along this module. Come and join as we sail to this new module and discover important
concepts behind those questions at the back of our minds.

When you think of the Eureka moment of Archimedes, you're probably imagining a guy in
a bathtub, right? As it turns out, the story has even more to it. Before you proceed, kindly
visit the link below on “The Real Story of Archimedes’ Eureka!”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WkCPORlj4

Time Allotted: 3 min Actual Time: __________

Accordingly, “​When the weight of a submerged object is greater than the buoyant force,
the object will sink. When the weight is less than the buoyant force, the object will rise to
the surface and float.​” (Hewitt, 2015)

BUOYANCY

It is defined as the apparent weight loss of objects as they are immersed in a fluid (gas or
liquid) which are acted upon by a buoyant force of that fluid.

● Lifting a rock submerged at the riverbed bottom is easier than bringing it above the
surface of the water.
● The ​water exerts an upward force ​whenever ​the boulder is submerged​,
which is opposite to the gravitational direction. The buoyant force is what this
upward force is called and is responsible for the apparent weight loss in objects
when they are submerged in fluids.
● The ​buoyant force on a submerged or immersed object is the net upward force
which a fluid exerts.

The upward forces of an object being submerged against the bottom are said to be greater
than the downward forces compared to the top as shown in Figure 1 below.

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 Figure 1. ​Illustration of a Boulder submerged in Water
(Image from: Hewitt, Paul G. (2015). Conceptual Physics 12th ed. City
College of San Francisco, United States of America. Pearson Education.)

In Figure 1, arrows illustrate the forces that generate pressure against the boulder
submerged within the liquid. Here are important takeaways for the illustration above:

● At greater depth, the forces become greater.

● The forces that are acting against the sides horizontally certainly cancelling each
other, so that the boulder is not moved on sideways.
● Forces against the bottom that act upward are stronger than those against the
top that act downward.
● Buoyant force is the difference in upward and in downward forces.
● The object that is being submerged can stay at any level, just like fish, this is
“​when the weight is equal to the buoyancy principle”​.

Take note that when placing a stone in a container with water, the level of the water
eventually rises. ​It is said that the water is displaced by the stone, or moved aside. The
displaced amount of water that is equal to the stone’s volume​. Accordingly, a fully
submerged object displaces a liquid volume that is equal of its own volume as shown in
Figure 2 below.

Figure 2.​ When an object is Submerged in a Container

(Image from: Hewitt, Paul G. (2015). Conceptual Physics 12th ed. City
College of San Francisco, United States of America. Pearson Education.)

Submerge it into a measuring cup of water to calculate the volume of an irregularly formed
object. Notice the apparent rise in the water volume. The rise is just equal/the same to the
submerged object's volume.

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The amount of overflowing water is equal to the object’s volume if an object is immersed in
a particular container which is initially full as illustrated in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3.​ When an object is Submerged in a Container that is Initially Full

(Image from: Hewitt, Paul G. (2015). Conceptual Physics 12th ed. City College of San
Francisco, United States of America. Pearson Education.)

What identifies whether an object is going to sink or float?

ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE & PRINCIPLE OF FLOTATION

Archimedes’ principle states that “​the buoyant force on an immersed object is equal to
the weight of the fluid it displaces.​”

Note that the buoyant force is not the same with the object's weight, but rather it is equal
to the displaced weight fluid volume.

Let's consider objects placed in water. When an object displaces a water weight that is
greater than its weight, it will definitely float. If it displaces a water weight which
happens to be less than its weight, it sinks. If it displaces a water weight equal to its
weight, it will remain at a certain level in the water.

When dropped into water, a stone sinks because it displaces a weight of water less than
its weight. A fish can swim in the ocean at a certain level because ​it displaces a water
weight equal to its weight​. A ship must displace a water weight at least equal to or
greater than its weight in order to remain afloat on water.

Fluid pressure increases with depth, as the weight of the column of fluid increases. In
the case of liquids, the density remains almost constant with the depth. We call liquids
incompressible, as their volume will not significantly decrease under pressure. This is
not the case for gases.

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 Figure 4. ​ Pressure at bottom of the column is due to the weight of the overlying fluid
(Image from: Solids and Fluids: Fluid Pressure. Michigan State University, U.S.A. Retrieved
from http://people.cst.cmich.edu/petko1vg/phy130-lecture30.pdf)

We all know that pressure is just equal to “​force per unit area”​ (P=F/A), such that:
F
P = A

mg
and since ​F = mg,​ we can substitute ​mg ​to ​F​ in the above equation, we have P = A .

Also, since ​m = ρV​ and V

​ = Ah​ from Figure 4 above, we now have:

F mg (Ah) g
P = A = A = A = gh [eqn. 4]

where ρ denotes the liquid density, g is the gravitational acceleration (approximately

equal to 9.8 m/s​2​) and ​h is the height from the surface or depth that the object is
submerged. This equation proves that as depth of the fluid increases, pressure also
increases.

Consider the following example below:

1. Occupying 1000 cubic centimeters, a liter of water has a mass of 1 kilogram and
has a weight of 10 N. When completely immersed in water, any object with a
volume of 1 liter will eventually experience a buoyant force that is equal to 10 N.
■ Immersed s​ imply means “either completely or partially submerged.”
■ If a sealed one-liter bottle is immersed halfway into the bath, half a liter of
bath is displaced and half a liter of water is buoyed up.
■ If it’s immersed the way through, the weight of a full liter of water (10 N)
will buoy it up.

Figure 5 below shows the difference between the upward force and the downward force
acting at any depth on the submerged block is just equal. Compare buoyant force at
points A, B and C.

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 Figure 5.​ Archimedes’ Principle Illustration
(​Image from: Hewitt, Paul G. (2015). ​Conceptual Physics 12th​ ​ ed.​ City College of San
Francisco, United States of America. Pearson Education.)

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

This assessment is non-graded. Refer to Figure 5 above for the following

questions:

1. A mercury-filled 1-liter (L) bottle has a mass of 12.6 kg and has a weight
of 126 N. What is its buoyant force when it is immersed in water?

2. Consider positions A, B , and C, which is a block held suspended under

the water. Identify the position in which the buoyant force on it is
greatest?

3. In a deep lake, a stone is thrown. WHat can you say about its buoyant
force? Does it decrease, increase or stays the same as it sinks deeper
into the water?

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Three significant points that can summarize the principle of sinking and floating:
● When an object is more dense compared to the fluid for which it is immersed, ​it
sinks​.
● When an object is less dense compared to the fluid for which it is immersed, ​it
floats​.
● When an object has a density that is equal/the same with the fluid’s density it is
immersed, it does not sink or float.

For a submerged object, the buoyant force depends on its volume.

● Less water is displaced by a smaller object, definitely a smaller buoyant force
acts on it.
● More water is displaced by a bigger object, so a greater buoyant force that acts
on it.
● The volume of the immersed object determines buoyant strength..

Consequently, we all know that wood is less dense than water, it will eventually float. The
rock will eventually sinks because it is more dense than water. The fish does not rise or
simply sink because it has equal/the same density as the water.

Time Allotted: 16 min Actual Time: __________

GRADED FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Directions. Read each question carefully before answering. For items 1 to 3, write
only the letter of your choice. For items 4 to 5, show your solutions clearly.

1. At the bottom part of the lake, water pressure depends highl on the _________
of the lake. (2 pts)

A) depth
B) weight of water
C) surface area
D) density of the water

2. The buoyant force acting on object that is being submerged in water is

attributable to ___________. (2 pts)

A) all sides have the same water pressures

B) the weight of the volume of displaced water
C) whether the object is more dense or less dense than water
D) greater pressure on the bottom part of the water compared on the surface

3. What will be the buoyant force when an object is immersed in water and
displaced 20 kg of water? (2 pts)

A) 20 kg
B) 20 N
C) 200 N
D) 200 kg

4. With one-third of its volume submerged, a 4,000-kilogram boat floats. If two

more people, each of whom weighs 690 newtons, get into the boat, what
additional volume of water is displaced?​ (5 pts.)

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 Time Allotted: 8 min Actual Time: __________

I​n Summary
● Buoyancy ​is defined as the apparent weight loss of objects as they are immersed in a
fluid ( liquid or gas) which are acted upon by a buoyant force of that fluid.
● In the 3rd century B.C, Archimedes’ principle was formulated by Greek philosopher
Archimedes.T
● The net upward force exerted by the fluid is the ​Buoyant force on a submerged or
immersed object..
● When an object is more dense compared to the fluid in which it is being immersed, ​it
sinks​.
● When an object is less dense compared to the fluid in which it is being immersed, ​it
floats​.
● When an object has a density that is the same with the density of the fluid it is being
immersed, it does not sink or float.

Time Allotted: 2 min Actual Time: __________

If you want to know more about Buoyancy and Archimedes’ Principle, you can check the
link below for a virtual simulation:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/density-and-buoyancy/buoyancy_en.html

Cutnell, John D. and Johnson, Kenneth W. (2012). Physics 9th ed. United States of
America: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Halliday, D., Resnick, R. and Walker, J. (2014). Fundamentals of Physics, 10th ed. United
States of America: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Hewitt, Paul G. (2015). Conceptual Physics 12th ed. City College of San Francisco, United
States of America. Pearson Education.

Solids and Fluids: Fluid Pressure. Michigan State University, U.S.A. Retrieved from
http://people.cst.cmich.edu/petko1vg/phy130-lecture30.pdf

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