Archimedes Principle

1. Figure 5 shows two similar blocks of wood floating in two different

liquids, P and Q.

(a) Compare the submerged volume of the wooden blocks in P and

Q.

(b)(i) Apart from the weight of the block, what offer force acts on
the blocks in P and Q?
(ii) Compare the force mentioned in (b)(i) in the case of P and Q.
(iii) Explain your answer to (b)(i).

(c) What is the relationship between the force mentioned in (b)(i)

and the submerged volume of the wooden block?

(d)Name the principle that is involved in your answer to (c).

(e) Compare the densities of the liquids P and Q.

(f) Name one instrument that is used to determine densities of

liquids based on your answer to (e).

2.

In Figure 3.6(a), a spring balance is used to measure the weight

of mass X which has a density of 5000 kg m-3.
(a) If the mass of X is 0.5 kg, calculate
(i)
the volume of X
(ii)

the weight of mass X, W1, as shown on the spring

balance

(b)In Figure 3.6(b), the mass X is fully immersed in water.

Calculate
(i)
the volume of water displaced by X.
(ii)

the weight of water displaced by X if the density of

water is 1000 kg m-3.

(iii)

the value of W2 as shown on the spring balance.

(iv)

The tension in the spring, T

3. An object which is hung from a spring balance is totally submerged

in water as shown in Diagram 7.

(a) Draw the forces that act on the object.

(b)The volume of the object is 0.6m3. Find the buoyant force
experienced by the object. [ g = 10 ms-2 ]

(c) What is the weight of the object if is not submerged in the water?
[Density of object = 8.0 x 103 kgm-3]

(d)Find the apparent weight of the object when it is submerged in the

water.
[Density of water = 1.0 x 103 kgm-3]

4. The diagram shows a hydrometer.

(a) What is the use of the hydrometer?

(b)What the purpose of having lead shot at the bottom of the

hydrometer?

(c) Explain why the hydrometer is calibrated in such a way that

readings of the scale is increasing downwards.

5. Diagram 6.1, diagram 6.2 and Diagram 6.3, each shows a spring
balance holding a stone Q with a string in three situations. In
diagram 6.1, the stone Q is in the air. In Diagram 6.2, the stone Q is

partially immersed in water. In diagram 6.3, the stone Q is fully

immersed in water.

(a) What are two forces acting on the stone in Diagram 6.1?
(b)What is third force acting on the stone when it is partially or fully
immersed in water?
(c) On Diagram 6.2, mark and label the direction of the three forces
acting on the stone.
(d)State the relationship of the three forces acting on the stone in
Diagram 6.2 and Diagram 6.3.
(e) Name the principle involved when the stone is partially or totally
immersed in water.
(f) What is the resultant force acting the stone in Diagram 6.3.
(g)(i) What will happen to the reading of the spring balance in
Diagram 6.3 if the water is replaced with a concentrated sugar
solution which has a higher density than water?
(ii)Give one reason for your answer in (g)(i).

6. Diagram 9.1 shows a helium balloon which has a total mass of 380
kg and it is holding a load of mass 120 kg with a string. The balloon
and the load are floating stationary in the air.

(a) In Diagram 9.1,

(i)What is the weight of the balloon?

(ii)What is the buoyant force on the balloon?

(b)In Diagram 9.2, the string holding the load is cut to separate the
balloon and the load. As a result, the balloon moves upwards
and the load downwards.
(i)What is the acceleration of the load which moves downwards?

(ii)What is the resultant force on the balloon?

(iii)What is the acceleration of the balloon?

7.

(a) In Diagram 10.1, an air bubble is moving towards the surface of

the water whereas the balloon in Diagram 10.2 is ascending in
air.
(i)State the similar characteristics shown in Diagram 10.1 and
Diagram 10.2,
(ii)Relate the characteristics in Diagram 10.1 and Diagram 10.2
to build a physics principle.
(iii)Name the physics principle.

(b)Based on the idea shown in Diagram 10.1 and Diagram 10.2, with
the help of a label diagram, describe and explain the construction
of a hot air balloon that can be controlled to move horizontally
and vertically in a fast and safe manner.

8. Figure 7 shows a submarine with a volume of 250 m3.

When the ballast tank is empty, the submarine submerges partially

in the sea water with 3/5 of its volume below the surface of the sea
water. [Density of the sea water = 1200 kg m-3]
(a) Draw and label the forces that act on the submarine on Figure 7.
(b)Explain why the submarine floats on the surface of the sea water.

(c) Calculate the mass of the sea water needed to be filled in the
ballast tanks so that the whole submarine is submerged and
remains stationary below the surface of the sea water.

(d)Explain why the submarine is built with strong and thick wall.

9. Figure 9.1 and Figure 9.2 illustrate a boy on two different floats of
same mass in two occasions,

He finds that his float is at different levels in the water.

(a) (i)What is meant by buoyant force?
(ii)Using Figure 9.1 and Figure 9.2, compare the levels of the float
and the cross-sectional area of the float. Relating the mass of
the boy and the float with the volume of water displaced and the
cross-sectional area of the float, deduce a relevant Physics
concept.
(iii)Name the Physics principle that explains the above situation.

(b)A ship which is made of steel floats in sea water but a steel block
with the same mass sinks when it is put in the sea water. Explain
the situation.
(c) Figure 9.3 shows a model of a raft made by bamboo used to
transport goods in a river.

Using an appropriate concept in Physics, explain the modification

required to the above raft to accommodate more goods.

10.
A student carries out an experiment to study the relationship
between the volume of water displaced with the mass of a block. A
block of mass 20 g is put in the water in the measuring cylinder as

shown in Figure 2.1 and 2.2. The volume of water displaced by the
block is recorded.

The above procedure is repeated by varying the mass of the blocks,

30 g, 40 g, 50 g and 60 g. The actual readings of the measuring
cylinder, x are shown in Figure 2.3.

(a) Based on the experiment, identify,

(i)The manipulated variable
(ii)The responding variable
(iii)The constant variable
(b)(i)Record the initial volume of the water, V0 in Figure 2.1.
(ii)Calculate the volume, V, of water displaced by each block
using the equation
V = x-V0. Tabulate your results for mass, m
and volume of water displaced, V for every value of x in the
space below.

(c) On a graph paper on below, plot a graph of V against m.

(d)Based on your graph in 2(c), state the relationship between V

and m.

11.
Figure 4 shows a plastic cylinder of volume of 0.03 m3 with a
density of 600 kg m-3 floating on an unknown liquid.

12.

(a) (i)State Archimedes principle.

(ii)Using Archimedes principle, explain the different conditions of
the diver when wading towards the beach.
(b)A coral of mass 5 kg was picked up by the river. When it is fully
submerged in the sea its apparent weight is 44 N. [Density of sea
water = 1 100 kg m-3, g = 10 m s-2]
(i)What is the buoyant force acting on the coral in the sea?
(ii)Calculate the volume of water displaced by the coral.
(iii)What is the volume of the coral?
(iv)Calculate the density of the coral.
(c) Ships that travel around the world will have different Plimsoll lines.

FW and SW represent the Plimsoll line for freshwater and seawater.

Write on Figure 7(b) the lines representing freshwater. Explain the
reason for your choice.

13.

(a)What is meant by buoyant force?

(b)Figure 8(a) and 8(b) show a hot air balloon in the air and a
submarine in the water.

(i)State the similar characteristics shown in Figure 8(a) and Figure

8(b).
(ii)Connect the characteristics in (b)(i) to build up a physics
principle.
(iii)Name the physics principle.
(c)Based on the idea shown in Figure 8(b), describe and explain the
design of a submarine that enables it to rise and submerge in water.
(d)Figure 8(c) shows the weight of a block of X in the air is 5.8 N.

Block X is immersed in a beaker of oil with density of 800 kg m-3.

The weight of block X in the oil is 4.3 N.
(i)What is the buoyant force acting on block X?
(ii)Calculate the weight of oil displaced.
(iii)Calculate the volume of block X.
(iv)Calculate the density of block X.

14.
A balloon is used to collect information about the weather,
atmospheric pressure, humidity, temperature and wind speed.
(a) State the condition needed for a balloon to rise up in the air.

(b)Figure 9(a) shows a weather forecast balloon. The mass of the

balloon is 200 g. After being filled with [Density of helium gas =
0.05 kg m-3, g = 10 m s-2]

(i)Calculate the weight of the helium gas in the balloon.

(ii)Given the density of the air is 1.5 kg m-3, calculate the buoyant
force acting on the balloon.
(iii)Given a mass of 0.8 kg is tied to the balloon, calculate the net
force aacting on the balloon.
(iv)Calculate the acceleration of the balloon.
(v)Give another example that uses the same physics principle as
the weather forecast balloon.
(c) A hydrometer is an instrument used to measure the relative
density of liquids such as milk or acid in accumulators. Figure
9(b) shows different designs for hydrometer.

(d)(i)Describe a suitable design for making a hydrometer.

(ii)Which of the hydrometers W,X,Y or Z is the most suitable?
Give reasons for your choice.
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