Buoyancy in Water

PHY 100 & 103

Any object in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force that tends to make the object float. Archimedes' principle states that this force is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. Students will measure this force on an object in air, water and alcohol by hanging the object from a lab balance.

Equipment

Notes

Notes: (1) Remove the large mounting rod from the tables and put them in the back room by the lab door. Replace them with the rods that fit most snugly into the mounting hole on the rear underside of the dual-pan balances. (2) Mount dual pan balances on top of the rods that clamp onto the tables. (3) One paper clip bent into a hanger must be hung on the cross-wire of the tuning fork shaped rod under the left side of each dual pan balance. Make sure to calibrate the balance to zero with the paper clip. (4) Cut lengths of plain white String about 50 cm long and put out at least one pair of scissors. (5) Put out two different types of metal cylinders per table.

Put out the large bottle of alcohol located on S65. Along with the initial apparatus set-up, supply a sufficient number of the appropriate paper procedure handouts for all of the lab sections that will use the set-up over the course of the week. Print the PDF, duplicate to double-sided pages, staple, and leave pile on instructor's table prior to first use of set-up.