NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Bachelor in Secondary Education Program

Independent Learning Module (ILM) # 5

SES 4/ SEPH 4
(Fluid Mechanics)
Date:
Semester: 2nd

UNIT 3. FLUID STATICS

TOPIC: ARCHIMEDES’ PRINCIPLE
Learning Targets:
1. discuss buoyant force;
2. state and explain Archimedes' principle;
3. perform problem-solving tasks involving Archimedes' principle; and
4. cite practical applications of Archimedes' principle
Reference/s:
Padua,A.&Crisostomo,R. Practical and Explorational Physics (Modular Approach).Vibal Publishing House, Inc.2007
Sotto.R.Physics. SIBS Publishing House,Inc. 2006

Concept:

Have you ever wondered why a one-peso coin quickly sinks in water but large ferry-boat floats? Have
you compared lifting a person underwater to lifting him in the air? How do we explain the difference? Why is it
easier to lift an object underwater than in the air? Or a piece of wood floats but a metal block of the same size
and shape sinks? Or a helium-filled balloon rises in the air, but basketball does not?

Clearly, weight is not the factor that determines whether the object will float or sink. Objects float or
sink because of their density and not because of their weight. Objects that are denser in the fluids they are
immersed in will sink, but those that are less dense will float. However, these objects appear to lose weight
when they are submerged in water.

If you get a piece of wood and immerse it in water and release it, the wood will be buoyed up to the
surface and float. If you push it down, you can feel an upward force exerted by the water. The upward force
resulting from an object being wholly or partially immersed in a fluid is called the buoyant force. This
buoyant force assists in supporting a body against the downward pull of gravity. The body is said to "lose
weight."

The apparent loss of weight in a liquid is equal to the buoyant force.

Figure 1

The idea that an object immersed in fluid experiences a buoyancy force equal to the weight of water
displaced by the object was discovered by Archimedes (287-212 BC). This is known as Archimedes' principle.
It states that:

A body partly or wholly submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by force equal in magnitude to the displaced
fluid's weight and directed upward along a line through the center of gravity to the displaced fluid.
The weight of the volume of fluid displaced depends on the volume of the object that is submerged.
Therefore, a large volume of water displaced means a large amount of buoyant force.
✓ If the buoyant force is equal to the object's weight submerged in the fluid, the object will remain at any
level in the fluid.
✓ If the buoyant force is greater than the weight, the object will float.
✓ If the buoyant force is less than the weight of the object, the object will sink.

The buoyant force is a consequence of increasing pressure with depths.

Consider a cylinder immersed in a liquid as shown in figure 2.

h1 The pressure at the top of the cylinder at depth h1 is P1 and the
pressure at the bottom at h2 is P2. The forces acting on each surface are
h2 as follows:

F1 = P1A and F2 = P2A

F1 = ρh1gA and F2 = ρh2gA

Figure 2

Since h2 is greater than h1, F2 is greater than F1. The difference between these two forces is equal to the
buoyant force FB exerted by the fluid.

Thus,

FB (buoyant force) = F2 - F1

= ρh2gA - ρh1gA

= ρgA (h2 - h1 )

But h2 - h1 = l, the length of the object submerged in the fluid. The buoyant force is

FB = ρgAl

Since Al is the volume of the object, we can write FB as:

FB = ρgV

However, a submerged object displaces or takes the place of a volume of fluid equal to its own
volume shown in figure 3.

Weight of object = weight of fluid displaced by object

object

water Volume of displaced water = volume of object

water displaced

Figure 3

So, ρV is simply the mass of the fluid displaced by the object (m). Thus, we can express buoyant force as:

FB = mfg = weight of the fluid

where

FB = buoyant force
mf = mass of the fluid displaced by the object
g = acceleration due to gravity
 Another way of determining the buoyant force applied by the water is to take the difference between the
weight of the object in air and its weight in water.

FB = Wair - Wwater

Example: If a 5-kilogram block weighs about 49 N in the air while its weight in water is about 19.6 N, as
shown in figure 4, then the buoyant force is 49 N minus 19.6 N. This means that the buoyant force is about 29.4
N. This also means that the block displaces an amount of water, which weighs about 29.4 N.

Figure 4

Sample problems:

1. A piece of alloy weighs 380 N in air and 320 N when immersed in water. Find the volume of the alloy.

Given:

Weight in air, Wa = 380 N

water
Weight in water, Ww = 320 N
Density of water = 1000 kg/m3
alloy

Find: volume of the alloy Solution:

FB = Wair - Wwater
= 380 N - 320 N FB =
60 N

But the volume of the alloy = volume of the water displaced

FB = weight of the water displaced

FB = volume of water displaced x acceleration due to gravity x density of water

To get the volume of water:

FB = ρgV

60 N = (1000 kg/m3 )(9.8m/s2) Vwater

Vwater = 0.006 m3

the volume of the water displaced = volume of the alloy = 0.006 m3

2. A basketball floats in a bathtub of water. The ball has a mass of 0.5 kg and a diameter of 22 cm.

Illustration:
(a) What is the buoyant force?
(b) What is the volume of water displaced by the ball?

Solution:

(a) To find the buoyant force, weight of fluid displaced = weight of the

basketball = FB

FB = mg

FB = (0.5 kg x 9.8m/s2) = 4.9 N

(b) By Archimedes' principle, the buoyant force is equal to the weight of fluid displaced.

Fb = ρVdispg

Vdisp= Fb/ρg = 4.9 kg·m/s2/(1000 kg/m3 )(9.8m/s2) = 5 x 10-4 m3

Archimedes' Principle states that the force exerted on an object in a fluid is equal to the weight of fluid
displaced (moved out of the way) by the object. This force is called buoyant force. The buoyant force pushes
upwards against the object. Gravity exerts a downward force on the object (its weight), which is determined by
the object's mass. So if the force exerted downward on the object by gravity is less than the buoyant force, the
object will float.

On Earth, an object immersed in a fluid (such as a fish or a person) experiences two major forces:

✓ The downward pull of gravity

✓ The upward push of buoyancy
Buoyancy is caused by a difference in fluid pressure at different levels in the fluid. Particles at the lower
levels are pushed down by the weight of all the particles above them. The particles at the upper levels have less
weight above them. Consequently, there is always greater pressure below an object than above it, so the fluid
constantly pushes the object upward.

The force of buoyancy on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by that object. For
example, if you submerge an empty gallon milk jug in a bathtub, it displaces a gallon of water. The water in the
bathtub then pushes up on the jug with a little more than 8 pounds of force, the weight of a gallon of water. An
object with greater volume is pushed up with greater force because it displaces more fluid. Of course, if the
object is denser (and therefore heavier) than water, it doesn't matter how much water it displaces -- it will still
sink.

Applications of Archimedes' Principle:

1. Hot air balloons

Hot air balloons use Archimedes' principle in the way that when air is heated, hot air is less dense than
cold air due to thermal expansion, and so the balloon will rise.

A hot air balloon rises and floats due to the buoyant force (when the surrounding air is greater than its
weight). It descends when the balloon's weight is higher than the buoyant force.
It becomes stationary when the weight equals the buoyant force.
The weight of the Hot-air balloon can be controlled by varying the quantity of hot air in the balloon.
2. Submarine

https://www.wired.com/2016/08/trust-us-cant-really-turn-truck-submarine/

A submarine or a ship can float because the weight of water that it displaces is equal to the weight of the
ship. This displacement of water creates an upward force called the buoyant force and acts opposite to gravity,
which would pull the ship down. Unlike a ship, a submarine can control its buoyancy, thus allowing it to sink
and surface at will.

To control its buoyancy, the submarine has ballast tanks and auxiliary, or trim tanks, that can be
alternately filled with water or air. When the submarine is on the surface, the ballast tanks are filled with air,
and the submarine's overall density is less than that of the surrounding water. As the submarine dives, the ballast
tanks are flooded with water, and the air in the ballast tanks is vented from the submarine until its overall
density is greater than the surrounding water, and the submarine begins to sink (negative buoyancy).

A supply of compressed air is maintained aboard the submarine in air flasks for life support and for use
with the ballast tanks. In addition, the submarine has movable sets of short "wings" called hydroplanes on the
stern (back) that help to control the angle of the dive. The hydroplanes are angled so that water moves over the
stern, which forces the stern upward; therefore, the submarine is angled downward.

https://www.uakron.edu/polymer/agpa-k12outreach/lesson-plans/condiment-dive

3. Ship

Ships are enormous steel vessels. A ship can have a mass of hundreds of thousands of tonnes. Steel is
much denser than water, so you would think that massive steel ships would sink, right? Well, what helps keep
ships afloat is their shape and what is inside them. Ships are not solid pieces of steel. Instead, they are mostly
hollowed-out shells of steel. There are all sorts of components inside the ship. For example, the ship's engine,
fuel, and cargo may be inside. But most importantly, there is air inside a ship.
 https://letstalkscience.ca/educational -resources/stem -in -context/why -do -ships -floa

A full cargo ship on the left and an empty cargo ship on the right. Notice how the empty ship sits higher in
the water.

http://www.docbrown.info/ephysics/forc es7.htm

The air that is inside a ship is much less dense than water. The air keeps the ship floating. The average
density of the total volume of the ship and everything inside of it (including the air) must be less than the same
volume of water. As a ship is set in water, it pushes down and displaces an amount of water equal to its weight.
The closer the total density of the ship is to the density of the same volume of water, the greater the amount of
the ship that will be in the water. If the average density of the ship is ever greater than the density of water, then
the ship will sink beneath the surface of the water. When a ship sinks, it is because water enters the ship. This
forces out the air, making the average density of the ship greater than that of the water.

4. Fish

Fish are slightly more dense than the water in which they swim. They are almost neutrally buoyant,
meaning the forces acting against the fish to make it sink about equal to the forces inside the fish, causing it to
float. It also means fish don't have to work too hard to keep from floating or sinking.

To ascend, a fish must reduce its overall density by increasing its volume without significantly increasing
its mass. Most fish do this with something called a swim bladder. A swim bladder is just an expandable sac,
like a human lung. To reduce its overall density, a fish fills the bladder with oxygen collected from the
surrounding water via the gills. When the bladder is filled with this oxygen gas, the fish has a greater volume,
but its weight is not greatly increased. When the bladder is expanded, it displaces more water and so
experiences a greater force of buoyancy. When the bladder is completely inflated, the fish has maximum
volume and is pushed to the surface. When the bladder is completely deflated, the fish has minimum volume
and sinks to the ocean floor. To stay at a particular level, a fish fills its bladder to the point at which it displaces
a volume of water that weighs what the fish weighs. In this case, the forces of buoyancy and gravity cancel each
other out, and the fish stays at that level.
5. Hydrometer

A hydrometer or hydroscope is a device that measures the relative densities of two liquids. They are
typically calibrated to measure the specific gravity of a liquid.

The hydrometer makes use of Archimedes' principle: a solid suspended in a fluid is buoyed by force equal
to the weight of the fluid displaced by the submerged part of the suspended solids. The lower the density of the
fluid, the deeper a hydrometer of a given weight sinks; the stem is calibrated to give a numerical reading.

Additional problems:

1. The mass of a block of aluminum is 25.0g. (a) What is its volume? (b) What will be the tension in a string
that suspends the block when the block is totally submerged in water? The density of aluminum is 2700 kg/m 3.

(a) Because ρ = m/V, we have

V = m = 0.0250 kg = 9.26 x 10-6 m3 = 9.26cm3

V 2700 kg/m3

(b) The block displaces 9.26 x 10-6 m3 of water when submerged, so the buoyant force on it is

FB = weight of displaced water = (volume) (ρ of water)(g)

= (9.26 x 10-6 m3)(1000kg/m3)(9.81 m/s2) = 0.0908 N

The tension in the supporting cord plus the buoyant force must equal the weight of the block if it is to be in
equilibrium (see the figure below). That is, F T + FB = mg, from which F T = mg - FB = (0.0250 kg)(9.81m/s2) -
0.0908 N = 0.154 N

2. A solid aluminum cylinder with ρ = 2700 kg/m3 has a measured mass of 67 g in air and 45 g when immersed
in turpentine. Determine the density of turpentine.

The FB acting on the immersed cylinder is

FB = (0.067 - 0.045 kg)(9.81m/s2) = 0.21582 N

This is also the weight of the displaced turpentine.

The volume of the cylinder is, from ρ = m/V,

V of cylinder = m = 0.067 kg = 2.5 x 10-5 m3

ρ 2700 kg/m3
 ρ = mass = 0.022 kg = 8.9 x 102 kg/m3
Volume 2.5 x 10-5 m3

PRACTICE PROBLEMS:

1. A metal cube, 2.00 cm on each side, has a density of 6600 kg/m 3. Find its apparent mass when it is totally
submerged in water.
Answer: 44.8 g
2. A solid wooden cube, 30 cm on each side, can be totally submerged in water if it is pushed downward with a
force of 54.0 N. What is the density of the wood?
Answer: 800 kg/m3
3. A metal object ‘weighs” 26.0 g in air and 21.48 g when totally immersed in water. What is the volume of the
object? Its mass density?
Answer: 4.55 cm3, 5.72 x 103 kg/m3
4. A solid piece of aluminum (ρ = 2.70 g/cm3) has a mass of 8.35 g when measured in air. If it is hung from a
thread and submerged in a vat of oil (ρ = 0.75g/cm3), what will be the tension in the thread?
Answer: 0.059 N

Supplemental videos: kindly watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSKRz18bWRo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgl_l0H7Qgc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05WkCPORlj4