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Archimedes' Principle

Have you ever had a swim in a pool? Dont you feel lighter? Have you ever drawn water from a well and felt that the bucket of water feels heavier when it is out of the water? Have you ever wondered why a ship made of iron and steel does not sink, but if the same amount of iron and steel in the form of a sheet would sink? Well, all these phenomena occur in all fluids including water and are due to exerted pressure. Test this: Take a spring balance, a piece of stone, a measuring cylinder and water. Measure the weight of stone in air by tying the string around in a loop, and hanging it from the spring balance. Take water in a measuring cylinder and note its volume level. Then dip the stone in the water while it is still hanging from the spring balance. You will see that the stone is weighing less!! If you see the water level now, you will see it has risen. Now from the volume of the water displaced, calculate the weight of water from the following equation for density :

Density of water =

Mass of water (in gm) Volume of water (in cubic cm)

Density of water is 1 gm/cm3. You will see that the mass of water displaced is exactly equal to the reduction in weight of the stone in water. Archimedes Principle states that a body immersed in a liquid, wholly or partly, it experiences a buoyant force (upward force) which is equal to the weight of the displaced fluid. Theoretical proof of Archimedes Principle Consider the figure along side, here a square piece of iron is immersed in liquid. The piece of iron is experiencing forces from all sides and they are: Pressure at a point inside a liquid is proportional to the height at which the point is from the surface, multiplied by the density of the liquid ( ) and the gravitational force. In the above figure the pressure at the top surface of the iron piece is h1 g and at the bottom surface is h2 g. Therefore F1 = (h1 W-T = ( g) x A and F2 = (h2 g) x A F1 = P1 (on the upper surface of the iron piece) x A F2 = P2 (on the lower surface of the iron piece ) x A. and The down ward force due to its weight = W Downward force acting on the upper surface of the iron piece, due to water pressing on it = F 1 Upward force due to the tension of the string = T Upward force acting on the lower surface of the iron piece due to water pressing on it = F 2 Horizontal forces acting on the other surfaces due to water pressure = H Since the piece of iron is stationary and is not moving either up or down or side ways, we can safely say that H=0 and Total upward force = Total Downward force T+ F2 = W + F1 Pressure is defined as force per unit area (A) .

g ) x volume of the iron piece

W - T = loss of the weight of the iron piece when immersed in liquid. ( g ) x volume of the iron piece = ( = g) x volume of the liquid displaced by the iron piece g x V = (mass of liquid displaced) x g

= weight of liquid displaced by the body Hence we can conclude that the loss of weight of a body in a liquid is equal to the weight of the liquid displace by the body. The Archimedes principle holds good for irregular as well as regular bodies and any liquids. The upward force experienced by the immersed body is also known as upthrust or buoyancy

Volume of water displaced = Volume of the submerged part of the object

Archimedes Principle : Buoyant force = Reduction in weight of object = Weight of water displaced

SMART TIPS !!!

Buoyant force > Weight of object => Object moves to the surface of the water Buoyant force < Weight of object => Object sinks to the bottom Buoyant force = Weight of object => Object floats or remains stationary in the water

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