Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician, physcist, and inventor who lived from 287 -
212 BC. (www.encyclopedia,com) One of his most famous works was his discovery
concerning bouyancy. The bouyant force is the upward force of the fluid on an object. He found
that the volume of the immersed object is and always will be the same as the volume of the
displaced fluid
Archimedes’ principle
Archimedes’ principle indicates that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body
immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially submerged, is equal to the weight of the fluid that
the body displaces and it acts in the upward direction at the centre of mass of the displaced
fluid. Archimedes’ principle is a law of physics fundamental to fluid mechanics. Archimedes of
Syracuse{]] formulated this principle, which bears his name.
Contents
Explanation
In On Floating Bodies, Archimedes stated (c. 250 BC)
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.
~ Archimedes of Syracuse
Practically, the Archimedes’ principle allows the buoyancy of an abject partially or wholly
immersed in a liquid to be calculated. The downward force on the object is simply its weight.
‘The upward, or buoyant force on the object is that stated by Archimedes’ principle, above. Thus
the net upward force on the object is the difference between the buoyant force and its weight. If
this net force is positive, the abject rises; if negative, the object sinks; and if zero, the object is
neutrally buoyant - that is, it remains in place without either rising or sinking. In simple words,
Archimedes’ principle states that when a body is partially or completely immersed in a flu, it
experiences an apparent loss in weight which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by
the immersed part of the body
Application of Archimedes’ Principle
Hello guys, these are only a few examples of the application of Archimedes’ Principle. This
examples only serve as a guidance and you should try to search for other examples. :) Hope
this helps.1, Submarine:
A submarine has a large ballast tank, which is used to control its position and depth from the
surface of the sea
A submarine submerges by letting water into the ballast tank so that its weight becomes
greater than the buoyant force
Conversely, it floats by reducing water in the ballast tank,-thus its weight is less than the
buoyant force
2. Hot-air balloon
The atmosphere is filled with air that exerts buoyant force on any object.
A hot air balloon rises and floats due to the buoyant force (when the surrounding air is greater
than its weight). It descends when the balloon's weight is higher than the buoyant force. it
becomes stationary when the weight equals the buayant force.
“The weight of the Hot-air balloon can be controlled by varying the quantity of hot air in the
balloon
3, HydrometerAhydrometer is an instrument to measure the relative density of liquids.
It consists of a tube with a bulb at one end, Lead shots are placed in the bulb to weigh it down
and enable the hydrometer to float vertically in the liquid,
Ina liquid of lesser density, a greater volume of liquid must be displaced for the buoyant force
to equal to the weight of the hydrometer so it sinks lower.
Hydrometer floats higher in a liquid of higher density.
Density is measured in the unit of gem-3
4, Ship
A ship floats on the surface of the sea because the volume of water displaced by the ship is
enough to have a weight equal to the weight of the ship.
A ship is constructed in a way so that the shapes hollow, to make the overall density of the
ship lesser than the sea water. Therefore, the buoyant force acting on the ship is large enough
to support its weightThe density of sea water varies with location. The PLIMSOLL LINE marked on the body of the
ship acts as a guideline to ensure that the ship is loaded within the safety limit.
A ship submerge lower in fresh water as fresh water density is lesser than sea water. Ships will
float higher in cold water as cold water has a relatively higher density than warm water.
5. Fishes
Certain group of fishes uses Archimedes’ principles to go up andidown the water.
To go up to the surface, the fishes will il its swim bladder (air sacs) with gases (clever isn‘ it?)
The gases diffuse from its own body to the bladder and thus making its body lighter. This,
enables the fishes to go up.
To go down, the fishes will empty their bladder, this increases its density and therefore the fish
will sink.
6. FLIP ~ Floating instrument platform.
This is a research ship that does research on waves in deep water. It can tum horizontally or
vertically. When water is pumped into stern tanks, the ship will flip vertically
The principle that is used in FLIP is almost similar with the submarines. Both ships pump water
in oF out of tank to rise or sink
How is Archimedes principle based on lactometers?Lactometer is a device used for finding the purity of a milk sample. It works on the principle of
Archimede's principle that a solid suspended in a fluid will be buoyed up by a force equal to the
weight of the fluid displaced. ifthe milk sample is pure, then the lactometer floats on it and ifit
is adulterated or impure, then the lactometer sinks.