What is Buoyancy?

Buoy = float (in Latin)

Archimedes

discovered this with

the golden crown.

What is Buoyancy?
Buoyancy= the floating

force
Water is heavier than the
objectso the object floats
Low density-more likely to
float

What are the units for Buoyancy?

Buoyant force is measured in

Newtons (N)

What is displacement?
Displace = push away
The amount of water

displaced by an
object tells you the
volume of that object.
The weight of the
displaced water is the
buoyant force acting
on that object.

How much fluid was displaced

here?

What is buoyant force?

Buoyant force is the upward

force of a fluid on an object.

What is a fluid?

A fluid is any liquid or gas.

What are the types of

buoyancy?
Positive buoyancy:
Buoyant force is greater
than weight so the
object floats.
Neutral buoyancy:
Buoyant force is equal to
weight so the object is
suspended in the fluid.
Negative buoyancy:
Buoyant force is less
than weight so the
object sinks.

When does an object FLOAT?

An object will float if
the buoyant force is
greater than or equal
to the weight of object.

WEIGHT

BUOYANT FORCE

When will an object SINK?

An object will sink if the
buoyant force of the
object is less than than
the weight of the object.

WEIGHT

BUOYANT FORCE

How do you Calculate BF?

Buoyant Force= Weight of displaced fluid
OR

BF

Buoyant
object
Force

Wair - Wwater
Weight of
object in air

Weight of
in water

Buoyant Force =
Weight of Displaced water
When the object is
submerged in
water, it displaces
an amount of water
that weighs 3 lbs.
6 cm3

6 cm3

Therefore the
buoyant force
pushing up on the
object is

Buoyant Force =
Weight of object in air minus weight of
object in water
Wair = 7 lbs
Wwater = 4 lbs
Buoyant Force
= 7-4 = 3 lbs

6 cm3

6 cm3

Volume of
object=Volume of
displaced water

Challenge!
If we drop this
object in the
water will it sink
or float?
Hint: compare the
objects weight in
air and the buoyant
force

6 cm3

6 cm3

Challenge!
If we drop this
object in the
water will it sink
or float?
6 cm3

6 cm3

Hint: compare the

objects weight in
air and the buoyant
force
7 lbs
SINK
3 lbs

Why do things float?

1. Things float if they are less dense

than
the fluid they are in.

2. Things float if they weigh less than

the
buoyant force pushing up on them.

3. Things float if they are shaped so their

weight is spread out.

Hot air balloons: heat to

go up
Submarines:
fill tanks with air to surface
fill with water to submerge

Density
Lowest Mass, Lowest Density, Floats

Ballast tanks

Low Mass, Low Density, Neutral

High Mass, High Density, Sink

Subs carry compressed air tanks to re-fill their ballast tanks

Density

Air Density= 0.04 g/ml

Balloon
Density =
0.045 g/ml

SINK

Density

Air Density= 0.04 g/ml

Balloon
Density =
0.040 g/ml

NOT
MOVING
UP OR
DOWN

Density

Air Density= 0.04 g/ml

Balloon
Density =
0.035 g/ml

FLOAT

Shape
How can you get 5000 pounds of

solid steel to float?

Ouch!
You know the
Buoyant Force.

Output
A rock has a mass of 76 g

and displaced 80 mL of
water when it was
submerged. What is the
volume of the rock?
If it displaced a volume of

80mL, then the volume of

the rock is 80mL!

OUTPUT
A volume of 200 mL of water is

displaced by a ducky that

weighs 10N. The weight of the
displaced water is 20N. What is
the buoyant force on the ducky
and will it sink or float?
BF = 20N
The ducky will float because 20N

(weight of the displaced fluid) is

greater than 10N (weight of the duck).

OUTPUT
A little 27g fish displaced a volume of

water that weighed 25N. The weight

of the fish was 30N. What is the
buoyant force on the fish and will it
sink or float?
BF = 25N
The fish will sink because the weight of the fish

is greater than the buoyant force.

OUTPUT
A person weighs 250N while

swimming in the dead sea.

When outside of the water
they weigh 600N. What is
the buoyant force acting on
them? Will they sink or float?
BF = Wair Wwater = 600 250 =

350N
The person will float because
their weight in the water is less
than the buoyant force.

OUTPUT
A dog jumps into a

pool. The water

holds him up
because he only
weighs 10N in
water. On land, he
weighs 45N. What
is the buoyant
force?
BF = 35N

Output
An object has a weight of 7N in air. The

object displaces 16 mL of water that weighs

7N. What is the buoyant force? Will the
object sink or float?
The weight of the displaced fluid is the

buoyant force, so the BF = 7N. The object will

be neutrally buoyant and float.

Observation Time!

Observation Time!

Observation Time!

Observation Time!

Dont forget your conclusion: