Archimedes Principal

Any object in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force which tends to cause
it to float in the liquid. This buoyancy force will tend to diminish the apparent
weight of a body submerged in the fluid Archimedes' principle states that this
force is equal to the Weight of the fluid which the object displaces
Objective:
To determine the specific gravity of several metal objects
Apparatus:
Triple beam balance, metal cylinders wooden cylinder, alcohol cork or Piece of
wood and thread
Theory:
The density of an object p0 is defined as mass M of the object divided by its
volume V that is p0 = M/V. The specific gravity SG of an object is the ratio of
its Density in air
that is SG

p0

to the density of water

pw

at the same temperature

p0
p w .When an object is totally immersed in a fluid, the volume of

the fluid displaced is equal to the volume of the object An object floats if its
density is less than the density of the fluid in which it is placed An object will
submerge if its density is greater than the density of the fluid in which it is
immersed It will sink in the fluid to a depth that is sufficient to displace the
weight of the fluid equal to its own weight In this equilibrium condition , the
buoyancy force, B, plus the tension in the wire ,W1 is equal to the weight of the
object W, as shown in the free body diagram The quantity W1 is also equal to
the apparent weight read by the laboratory balance when the object is in the
fluid According to Archimedes principle, the buoyant force is equal to the
weight of displaced fluid This
is given by
B = M w g = pw V w g = pw V 0 g
Where

Mw

mass of the water displaced,

V w is volume of water displaced

and V0 Is the volume of the object Thus

W1 = W - B = Mg - pw V w g
W (W-W1) = Mg/ (Mg M1g) =

p0
pw

p0 V 0 gp w V 0 g

=Specific Gravity SG

Procedure:
1. The triple beam balance is set up with a fine thread attached to the
underside of the pan carrier so that you can weigh bodies by hanging
them on the thread rather than placing them in the pan. Check that beam
balance balances with no body attached and adjust it accordingly. Then
weigh the aluminum cylinder in air by suspending it on the end of the
thread. Record this as mass of the cylinder in air as M.
2. Fill the beaker with water and place it on the floor with the metal cylinder
submerged in it as shown in figure below. Be sure the cylinder is
completely submerged and not touching the sides of the beaker. Record
this as mass of the aluminum cylinder in water as M1.
3. Repeat procedures 12 for brass, copper and lead cylinders.
4. Calculate the specific gravity of each object.
5. Calculate the % difference of your measurements by comparing your
results from the accepted value of the specific gravity.

Data and Table:

Table 1.

Object

Mass in air
M

Mass in
water
M1

Copper
Aluminum
Gold
Stone

57
18.4
54.9
69.3

50.7
11.9
48.2
63

Sample Calculations:
SG M /( M M 1)
% Error |EK|/ K (100 )

Results, conclusions and error analysis:

Specific
gravity
SG=M/(MM1)
9.04
2.83
8.19
11

%
Difference

11.05%
64.6
12.2
9.09

Yes Archimedes principal is verified from the above measurements and there is
less error with the as calculating the % difference from the expected values.

Questions:
1. Do your data indicate that Archimedes principle is valid? State clearly the
evidence for your answer.
Answer: Yes the data indicates that Archimedes principal is valid up to
nears for most of the objects like cooper, gold, stone.
2. What are the densities of the objects determined from your
measurements? Do these measurements agree with the accepted values?
The following are the densities of the objects:
Copper: 9.04
Aluminum: 2.83
Gold: 8.19
Stone: 11
Yes these measurements agree with the accepted values but there is a
percentage difference.