Abstract
The buoyant force on a submerged block is measured along with the force applied by the block on the liquid.
Portable
Yes
Principles Illustrated
Archimedes Principle, Newton’s Third Law, balanced forces.
Video
Download video (right-click and “save link as”): Archimedes.m4v
NCEA & Science Curriculum
PHYS 1.1, PHYS 1.2 (starting point for investigations)
Instructions
Setup with force plate, data logger, and data projector for a large classroom.
Lower an aluminium block into the water. The spring scale reading decreases (Archimedes Principle) and the force plate reading increases by the same amount (Newton III reaction to the buoyant force exerted by the water on the block). Aluminium is a good material to use because its density is approximately 2.7 times that of water (depending on the alloy). Steel is too dense and the spring scale reading does not change enough when the block is lowered into water.
Powerpoint and Datalogger Setup
Powerpoint (right-click and “save link as”): Arch.ppt
Contact us for the Vernier datalogger (.cmbl) file.
Safety
Be very careful with water near electronics.
Individual teachers are responsible for safety in their own classes. Even familiar demonstrations should be practised and safety-checked by individual teachers before they are used in a classroom.
Related Resources
Teaching Resources
Would you like to contribute lesson suggestions? Contact us.
References
PIRA 2B40.10
Credits
This teaching resource was developed with support from
The MacDiarmid Institute
Faculty of Science, Victoria University of Wellington
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington