EXPT.No.

2 1

HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
Experiment No.2
Determination of the Buoyant Force by the
Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy



It was Archimedes of Syracuse, a Greek mathematician, who first discovered the law of
buoyancy sometimes called Archimedes Principle which states that Any object, wholly
or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced by the object. According to the Newtons first law of motion, if the upward
forces balance the downward forces (including the weight) the object will either remain
at rest or remain in motion at a constant rate. Otherwise, it will accelerate upward or
downward.

Buoyancy arises from the fact that fluid pressure increases with depth and from the fact
that the increased pressure is exerted in all directions (Pascals principle) so that there
is an unbalanced upward force on the bottom of a submerged object with respect to the
forces induced by water. The buoyant force of a submerge object in a body of water is
equal to the weight of liquid displaced by the object. Water, with a density of one gram
per cubic centimeter, provides a convenient way to determine the volume of an
irregularly shaped object and then to determine its density.

Basically, objects with higher density than water will sink in it and those with lower
density will float on it. We can study buoyancy with the following methods;


METHOD I: Without Anchorage

If the buoyant force is equal to the weight of water displaced by the object then,



By summing up the vertical forces we will arrive to the following equation,


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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY


Where:

Bf buoyant force
Wo weight of the block
w - Width of the block
h - Draft or height of submergence

Water -
specific weight of water
V
submerged
- submerged volume of the block
Equal to the product of the width, length and h


METHOD 2: With Anchorage

Sometimes there are objects or floaters that are used to suspend something in a
body of water or anchorage that are used to hold an object while afloat in water. In
engineering practice, this method is frequently used when building bridges or any
structure at sea. In this case, the computation of the existing buoyant force or forces is
as follows:



By summing up the vertical forces we will arrived to the following equation:



Wo = Bf =
water
* V
submerged
Bf
1
+ Bf
2
= Wo + Wa


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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY

Where:

Bf
1
, Bf
2
buoyant force
Wo weight of the block
Wa weight of anchorage
w - width of the block
h - draft or height of submergence

water
- specific weight of water
V
submerged
- submerged volume of the block or the anchorage

Note that the submerged volume of the anchorage is equal to its total volume.


I. Experiment Objectives

To The objectives of this experiment are the following:
- Determine factors that affect the buoyancy of an object.
- Observe and study the buoyant effect of different liquid samples.
- Study the different uses of the principle of buoyancy in determining some
properties of solids.
These would be achieved using the following methods
- With anchorage
- Without anchorage

II. Materials and Apparatuses Required

The apparatuses necessary to perform this experiment are the following:

- Beaker
- Graduated Cylinder
- Weight Balance
- Set of Weights
- Spring Balance
- Blocks of Wood
- Piece of String

III. Sample Liquids

The sample liquids that will be used in this experiment are oil and water for reasons
of economy.

IV. Procedures

METHOD 1: Without Anchorage


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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
1. Measure the dimensions of the wooden block.
2. By using the spring balance or a weight balance, determine the weight of the
block in air ( Wb).
3. Measure the dimension of the cylindrical vessel and fill it with the liquid to a
certain height.
4. Measure the original height of the liquid in the container (h1). This is the only way
we can measure the amount of displaced liquid.
5. Place the block of wood in the liquid until it floats.
6. Determine the final height of the liquid in the container (h2).
7. Determine the volume of the submerged portion of the block using the graphical
illustration below.



















Y = h2 h1 (Height of the displaced liquid or height of the submerged volume)

Subtracting the base area of the wooden block from the base area of the container
gives the area of the displaced liquid. Therefore, the volume of the submerged
portion or the displaced liquid is given by;

Vs = (base area of container base area of the block) * Y

The weight of the block (Wo) which is equal to the buoyant force can then be
determined by;

Wo = Bf =
water
* Vs

8. Compare the weight of the wooden block, as determined earlier using a weight
balance or spring balance, and the weight of the wooden block computed using
the buoyancy principle.
h2
h1
Side View
Top View
Wooden block
Liquid
Container

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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
9. Compute the percent error by subtracting the weight of the wooden block from
buoyancy principle from the weight of the wooden block using a weigh balance
and dividing the difference with the weight of the wooden block using a weigh
balance and multiplying by 100 percent.
% error = [(W
1
W
O
)/W
1
]*[100]
10. Make three trials using different wooden blocks.

METHOD 2: With Anchorage

1. Measure the dimensions of the wooden block.
2. Weigh the block in air using a spring balance or a weight balance ( Wa).
3. Put a string around the block in a vertical manner in such a way that there is an
excess string to tie up a weight at the bottom and the spring balance at the top.
4. Get a large transparent container and fill it with water in such a way that the rise
of water in the container is negligible as in a large body of water where the
volume of displaced liquid is equal to the volume submerged of the block.
5. Submerge the anchorage in the water while holding the spring balance and while
approximately half of the volume of the wooden block (Vb) is also submerged.
6. Check the reading in the spring balance (Ww). Take note that we have to use a
spring balance so as to prevent the total immersion of the combination of the
wooden block and the anchorage.
7. Remove the assembly from the water and determine the weight of the
anchorage.
8. Determine the volume of the anchorage (Va) by displacement method using a
graduated cylinder or beaker. This can be done by placing water in the graduated
cylinder or beaker of known volume then immersing the anchorage. The increase
in volume is equal to the volume of the anchorage.
9. Determine the weight of the block from the following formula derived from
summing up vertical forces as shown below;















Bf
1
+ Bf
2
+ Ww = Wo + Wa

Water Surface
Ww
Wo
Wa
Bf
1
Bf
2

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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
Wo = Bf
1
+ Bf
2
+ Ww - Wa
Where:
Wo - the weight of the wooden block in air according to the principle of buoyancy
Wa the weight of the anchorage
Bf
1
unit weight of water multiplied by the submerged volume of the wooden
block
Bf
2
unit weight of water multiplied by the volume of the anchorage
Ww reading in the spring balance while the wooden block and the anchorage
are both in water. This is also known as the weight of the wooden block in water.
10. Compute for the percent error using;
% error = [(W
1
W
O
)/W
1
]*[100]
11. Make three trials using different wooden blocks.


V. Laboratory Data

Method # 1: WITHOUT ANCHORAGE

Sample Liquid: WATER

UNIT
T R I A L S
1 2 3
Weight of wooden block ( W1) N 0.78 0.74 0.76
Original ht. of liquid (h1) m 0.075 0.074 0.075
Width of block ( w) m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Length of block (L) m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Base area of block m
2
0.0025 0.0025 0.0025
Base area of container m
2
0.00785 0.00785 0.00785
Final ht. of liquid ( h2) m 0.084 0.086 0.085
Ht. of displaced liquid ( Y ) m 0.009 0.011 0.01
Base area of displaced liquid m
2
0.00785 0.00785 0.00785
Specific weight N/m
3
9810 9810 9810
Wt. of block from buoyancy
principle ( Wo)
N 0.69 0.85 0.77
% ERROR % 9% 11% 1%





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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
Sample Liquid: OIL

UNIT
T R I A L S
1 2 3
Weight of wooden block ( W1) N 0.78 0.74 0.76
Original ht. of liquid (h1) m 0.054 0.054 0.054
Width of block ( w) m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Length of block (L) m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Base area of block m
2
0.0025 0.0025 0.0025
Base area of container m
2
0.00785 0.00785 0.00785
Final ht. of liquid ( h2) m 0.064 0.063 0.062
Ht. of displaced liquid ( Y ) m 0.01 0.009 0.008
Base area of displaced liquid m
2
0.00785 0.00785 0.00785
Specific weight N/m
3
9810 9810 9810
Wt. of block from buoyancy
principle ( Wo)
N 0.77 0.69 0.62
% ERROR % 9% 7% 18%



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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
Method # 2: WITH ANCHORAGE

Sample Liquid: WATER
UNIT
T R I A L S
1 2 3
Weight of wooden block ( W1) N 0.78 0.74 0.76
Weight of anchorage (Wa) N 0.8 0.8 0.8
Width of block ( w) m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Length of block (L) m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Thickness of the block m 0.05 0.05 0.05
Spring balance reading (Ww) N

0.78 0.78 0.76
Volume of the submerged
portion of the wooden block
m
3
62.5x10
-6
62.5x10
-6
62.5x10
-6

Volume of the anchorage m
3
3.11x10
-7
3.11x10
-7
3.11x10
-7

Unit weight of water N/m
3
9810 9810 9810
Bouyant force # 1 N 0.58 0.58 0.58
Buoyant force # 2 N 0.2 0.2 0.2
Wt. of block from buoyancy
principle ( Wo)
N 0.63 0.67 0.68
% ERROR % 19% 9% 10%

Sample Liquid: OIL

UNIT
T R I A L S
1 2 3
Weight of wooden block ( W1) N
Weight of anchorage (Wa) N
Width of block ( w) m
Length of block (L) m
Thickness of the block m
Spring balance reading (Ww) N


Volume of the submerged
portion of the wooden block
m
3

Volume of the anchorage m
3

Unit weight of water N/m
3
9810 9810 9810
Bouyant force # 1 N
Buoyant force # 2 N
Wt. of block from buoyancy
principle ( Wo)
N
% ERROR %

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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
Observations

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VI. Conclusions

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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
VII. Review Questions

I. Encircle the Letter of the best answer.

1. The buoyant force theory was first discovered by __________.

a.) Galileo
b.) Newton
c.) Archimedes
d.) Pascal

2. The buoyant force for a floating body is equivalent to _________.

a.) The weight of water in the container.
b.) The volume of the body multiplied by the unit weight of water.
c.) The weight of the body.
d.) The volume submerged multiplied by the unit weight of the body.

3. If a block of wood has a unit weight less than that of water which of the following
statement is correct?

a.) The block will sink all the way down.
b.) The block will be suspended somewhere under water.
c.) Its behavior cannot be determined when in water.
d.) Part of the block will be submerged and part will stay above water.

4. If a floater shall hold an anchorage, which of the following criteria should be true and
precise so that they would be suspended in a body of water?

a.) The weight of the floater should be less than the anchorage.
b.) The combined unit weight of the floater and anchorage should be less than
that of water
c.) The unit weight of both should be less than that of water
d.) The volume of the floater should be greater than that of the anchorage.

5. How deep along its thickness will a box is immersed in water if its dimension is 2 m x
1.5 m x 0.5 m and weighs 11,000 N?

a) 0.374 m
b) 1.495 m
c) 1.122 m
d) None of the above

6. What should be the weight of a cube with sides measuring 1 m if its draws 0.5m of oil
of specific weight equal to 0.8 (It is submerged halfway in oil).


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HYDRAUL HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
a) 7845.6 N
b) 3922.8 N
c) 1961.4 N
d) 4903.5 N

7. What should be the weight of a body measuring 2m in length x 1.5 m in width x 0.5 m
in thickness if an anchor weighing 15,000 N with volume equal to 0.5 cubic meter is just
enough to submerge its entire thickness in water?

a) 5193 N
b) 289.5 N
c) 34,614 N
d) 4,614 N

8. What should be the weight of a boy if a barge (a floater) weighing 12,000 N with a
volume of 2 cubic meter is just enough to carry him in water?

a) 2,193 N
b) 19,614 N
c) 7,614 N
d) None of these

9. What will happen if two balls are put in water with the following descriptions; Ball #1
weighs 2,500 N with volume equal to 0.45 cubic meter, Ball #2 weighs 1,800 N with
volume equal to 0.15 cubic meter?

a) Both of the ball will sink in water
b) Ball #1 will float while ball #2 will sink in water
c) Both of the ball will float in water
d) Ball #2 will float while ball #1 will sink in water

10. What should be the volume of the barge so that it will draw salt water (s = 1.04)
which is equal to its vertical height? The barge weighs 1,500 N.

a) 0.1529 cubic meter
b) 0.1471 cubic meter
c) 0.9807 cubic meter
d) 0.9615 cubic meter