Skip Navigation
Search

Archimedes' Principle

Purpose

To demonstrate that the buoyant force on a body submerged in a liquid is equal to the weight of the liquid displaced.

Equipment

Setup pre-assembled as photographed.

Images

f1-13

Description

Hanging from the balance are a hollow can and a solid cylindrical metal block of the same volume V. Lowering the metal block into a beaker of water results in a buoyant force equal to the weight of a volume V of water. Pouring the volume V of water into the can restores the original weight as read on the spring scale.

References

Operating Instructions, Cenco-Miller Archimedes' Bucket and Cylinder, Cenco No. 071942-009, Cenco Scientific Co.,◙Chicago, Ill. ◙John M. Chilton, An Interesting Application of Archimedes' Principle, AJP 16, 57 (1948). ◙Jack Willis and Donald F. Kirwan, Easily-Performed Experiment Illustrating the Effect of the Buoyant Force of Air on◙Laboratory Weighings, AJP 42, 910-911 (1974). ◙Gordon E. Jones and W. Paul Gordon, Removing the Buoyant Force, TPT 17, 59-60 (1979). ◙R. E. Vermillion, Derivations of Archimedes' principle, AJP 59, 761-762 (1991).