JennaMann#11 8B11/4/13

DensityandBuoyancy
Eureka! How was density found? Density was found in 250 B.C., by a Greek mathematician named Archimedes. Eureka! is what he shouted when he discovered whatdensity was, and whatitcoulddo.Whatdoesbuoyancyhavetodowithdensity?How muchdoweusedensityandbuoyancy?Allofthesequestionswillbeansweredhere. What isdensity? Densityis howcloselypacked together the molecules ofa compound or the atoms of an element are. Also, the more dense something is, the moremass it has. Density measurements are useful foridentifyingsubstancesbecause differentsubstances have different densities. Density is measured in grams per cubiccentimeters,aswell as grams permilliliter(or justmilliliter).Densityiswhatdetermineswhetherobjectswillfloator sink. What is buoyancy? Buoyancy is an upward force thatcauses objects to floatorsink.The abilitythatallows objectsto float iscalled thebuoyantforce.If theobjectplacedinafluid is less dense than the fluid it isin,itwill float.Iftheobjectis moredense,thenitwill sink. Humans, like ourselves, experience buoyancy when in the poolits what keeps usfrom sinking to the bottom automatically. Divers also deal with buoyancy in great length. They mustadd weightsto their divingbeltsinordertosink,andeventhenthey havetotakecare to make sure they can still float when necessary. They balance it out by themselves in neutralbuoyancy,wherethingsneitherfloatnorsink. Density and buoyancy are both complicated, yet simple.They alsowork together to have differenteffects onobjectsplacedinfluid,ormultiplefluids.Densitydetermineswhetheran object will float or sink, while buoyancy is the upward force that makesanobject floator sink.Ifthere wasno buoyancy, density would notbepossible,andiftherewerenodensity, buoyancywouldnotbepossible. Theprocessfor identifying substances using densitywasdiscoveredbythefamousGreek mathematician Archimedes in 250 B.C. Archimedes found this principle while in his bathtub. He was trying to uncover the truth of whether the King of Syracuse had been cheated by a craftsman or notthe craftsman was suspected ofhavingreplaced a bit of gold in the Kings crown and instead put silver in place of the gold. Archimedes thought about the problem in his bathtub when he discovered that the fluid he displacedwhen

stepping into the tubwas equal to his own volume. Archimedes used this method to discover that the King had indeed been cheated by the craftsman. To prove this, Archimedes placed the crown the craftsman hadbuilt intoatub of water and a pure gold crown of equivalent mass into another tub ofwater. Hewatched whenmore water spilled over the sides of the tub when the craftsman crown was submerged. Supposedly, Archimedes was soecstatic about hisdiscoverythatheranthestreetsofSicilynakedand shouting,Eureka! Density and buoyancyarestillused tothisday, andareof greatuse tothe world.Weuse themallthetime, just perhaps withoutknowing, Think about the nexttime youtake abath, or floatinapool, orgoSCUBA(SelfContained UnderwaterBreathingApparatus)divingin theocean.Orthrowingarockintoapond,orevenwhenyouarebuildingaboatinclass!