BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) PHYSICS

PHYSICS LABORATORY REPORT

TITTLE : ARCHIMEDES PRINCIPLE

PREPARED BY :

NAMES MATRIXs NUMBER

MOHAMMAD RAZAIM BIN MOHD. RAZALI 2016447838

NUR FARISA NADIA BINTI MOHMAD LEHAN 2016447866

NUR SYAZWANI BINTI ABD WAHID 2016447878

PREPARED FOR : ENCIK SYAMSIR AKMAL BIN SENAWI

OBJECTIVE

1. To determine the density of a metal block.

2. To determine the density of paraffin.

APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

Metal block, paraffin, beaker, water, beaker, electronic balance, Newtons balance,
string, measuring cylinder, Eureka can, retort stand and measuring cylinder and
Vernier callipers.

THEORY

According to Archimedes principle that state that when an object is partially or fully
immersed in a fluid, the magnitude of the buoyant force acting on the objects are
equals to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
=

The Archimedes principle allows the buoyancy of an object whether it is partially or

fully immersed in a liquid to be calculated. The downward force on the object is
simply its weight and the upward, or buoyant force on the object is above.
Thus, the net upward force on the object is the difference between the buoyant force
and its weight. The difference between the weight of the object in air and the weight
when it is submerged in a fluid equals to the buoyant force of the fluid acting on the
object.
=

= reading of newton balance when the object is weight in air

= reading of newton balance when the object is totally submerged in a fluid.

For an object totally submerged in a fluid, the volume of the object equals to the
volume of the displaced fluid. If the object is partially submerged, the volume of
submerged part of the object only is equal to the volume of the displaced fluid.
=

Archimedes discovered a relationship between the weight of the liquid displaced by

the submerged object, and the amount of buoyant force on the object.
= = (df stand for displaced fluid)

If the density of the object is less than the density of the fluid, the downward
gravitational force is less than the upward buoyant force and the object accelerate
upwards. If the density of the object is greater than the density of the fluid, the
downward gravitational force is more than the upward buoyant force and the object
will sinks.
PROCEDURE

String
Newton
Balance

Eureka
can
Metal
block

Water Beaker

1. The volume of the metal block was taken by measuring its diameter and
height using a Vernier callipers.
2. The Eureka can was filled up with water.
3. The metal block was hanged at the Newton balance and the mass of the
metal block in air was obtain.
4. The spring balance was adjusted to fully immersed the metal block in the
water and the mass of the metal block while it was immersed in the water was
taken.
5. The mass and the volume of the displaced water was also recorded. The
volume of the displaced water was obtain by using measuring cylinder.
6. Steps 1-5 were repeated by replacing water with paraffin.
 DATA

The weight of the displaced liquid The volume of the displaced liquid
(N) (ml)

Trial 1 Trial 2 Average Trial 1 Trial 2 Average

Water 4.30 4.80 4.60 53.0 59.0 56.0
Paraffin 4.20 4.20 4.20 98.0 103.0 100.5

CALCULATIONS

Mass of empty beaker = 0.930 kg

Weight of metal block in air = 5.0 N

Weight of metal block in water = 4.4 N

Weight of metal block in paraffin = 4.6 N

Height of the metal block = 0.0300 m

Diameter of the metal block = 0.0590 m

Volume of the metal block

2
=

= (0.0295)2(0.0300)

5 3
= 8.20210
For metal block
=

=
=
=

==

=+

+
=

(1.00 103)(56.0 106)(9.81) + 4.60

=

8.202105 9.81

= 6.40 103 3

Percentage error for density of object

Percentage error = | | 100%

= |(7.86 103) 6.40 103| 100%
(7.86 103)

=18.6%
 Uncertainties for metal block:

= (2
+)
5.00 105 5.00 105
=[2( )+( )(8.202105 3)
0.0295 0.0300

4.1510 7
= 3
5 3
The volume of the metal block is ( ) = (8.2020 0.0415) 10

Uncertainties for the density of metal block :

=( + )

7
4.1510
=( 5
) (6.40 10 3 3
)

8.20210

3
= 32.4
The density of the metal block is ( ) = (6.4000 0.0324) 103 3
For paraffin
=

=
=
=
= =
=


=

(6.40 103)(8.202105)(9.81) 4.20

=

100.5106 9.81
3
=963.1
3
3 significant figures = 963

Percentage error of density of paraffin

Percentage error = | | 100%

= |963792| 100% 792

= 21.6 %
 Uncertainties for paraffin:

=(
+ )

=
( )
= 6 6
( 1.0010 ) (963) 100.510
= 3
9.58
3
The density of the paraffin is ( ) = (963.00 9.58)
DISCUSSION

Buoyant force is a force exerted by a fluid that exposes the weight of an immersed
objects. Archimedes principle states that when a body is partially or completely
immersed in a fluid, it will experience buoyancy, that is an upward force that equal to
the weight of the fluid displaced. The Archimedes principle is valid for liquid and gas.
The relationship between buoyant force, , weight on an object in air, and the weight of the liquid displaced by the object, is = , and
the relationship between and is =
.
The relationship = can also be written as = as the

can be derived as , which later can be expanded to form

If the densities of an object is greater than the density of fluid, the object will sink.
The same goes for if the densities of an object is less than the density of fluid, the
object will remain floating.
In this experiment, The density of the metal block is ( ) = (6.4000
3 3
0.0324) 10 with percentage error of 18.6%. The density of the paraffin obtained in this experiment is ( ) =
3
(963.00 9.58) with percentage error of 21.6%. Some possible errors that may present in this experiment is
that there may be and added weight of water displaced due to the hook and string on Newton Balance and there
might be currents in the water that push the cylinders, which will affect the reading of the Newton Balance.
Based on the experimental result of the density of the metal block, the metal block
may had been made from copper. The mass of the string that tie the Newton
Balance is only nearly negligible and may increase the weight of the fluid displaced
by the metal block. The advantages of using Archimedes Principle to determine the
density of substance over the direct method of using = is that if the shape is
irregular, it is easy to find the volume by measuring the amount of liquid displaced.
The amount of liquid displaced can be used to determine the density of the object.

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.
CONCLUSION

The density of the metal block obtained in this experiment is ( ) = (6.4000 0.0324) 103 3 with percentage error of 18.6%. The density
of the paraffin obtained in this experiment is ( ) = (963.00 9.58) 3 with percentage error of 21.6%,

REFERENCES

th
1. David Halliway, Jearl Walker, Robert Resnick, Fundamental of Physics 10
Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
2. John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson, David Young & Shane Stadler, (2014),
Physics, 10thEdition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
3. How Submarine Works Retrieved 8 January 2017, from
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-
equipment/submarine1.htm