Explore Our Affordable Courses

Click Here

NCERT NOTES

Elevate your UPSC preparation with NCERT Notes – because every word matters on your journey to success.

Archimedes’ Principle: Forces of Fluids and Buoyancy

December 14, 2023 946 0

Archimedes’ Principle in Fluid Mechanics:

Archimedes’ Principle, formulated by the ancient Greek mathematician and scientist Archimedes, states that a body immersed in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces. Archimedes’ insight, famously demonstrated in his “Eureka” moment, laid the groundwork for understanding fluid mechanics and has widespread applications, from ship design to the functioning of hot air balloons. The principle remains a cornerstone in physics, particularly in the study of fluids and floating bodies.

Archimedes’ Principle: Fluid Forces and Real-World Implementations:

  • Buoyant Forces: Dynamics of submerged bodies in Fluids: Whenever a body is completely or partially submerged in a fluid, it experiences an upward force. 
    • This force is equivalent to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces. 
  • Fluid Displacement Equivalence in Archimedes’ Principle: Unchanging Buoyant Force: This principle answers why there’s no further decrease in elongation once the stone is fully submerged, the amount of displaced fluid remains constant, and thus the buoyant force does not increase further.
  • Archimedes’ Principle: Weight loss equation in Fluid Submersion: This principle can be summarized as ‘the loss of weight of a body submerged (partially or fully) in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced’
  • Practical Applications of Archimedes’ Principle: From Marine Design to Precision Instruments:
  • Archimedes’ principle is fundamental in designing marine structures such as ships and submarines. 
  • Instruments like lactometers (measuring milk purity) and hydrometers (determining liquid densities) also operate based on this principle.

Archimedes’ Principle in Action: A Stone’s immersion experiment and Buoyancy:

  • A stone is tied to a rubber string or a spring balance .
  • The stone is suspended, causing elongation in the string or a specific reading on the spring balance due to the stone’s weight.
  • The stone is gradually immersed in water. 
  • As it gets submerged, the elongation of the string or the reading on the spring balance decreases.
Archimedes' Principle
(a) Observe the elongation of the rubber string due to the weight of a piece of stone suspended from it in air. (b) The elongation decreases as the stone is immersed in water.

Buoyancy: Observing changes in elongation as a Stone immerses in water: 

  • The elongation or the reading decreases as the stone is immersed in water, with no further change once the stone is fully submerged.

Buoyant Forces: Dynamics of stone immersion and Archimedes’ Principle:

  • The elongation in the string or the spring balance reading is a result of the stone’s weight. 
  • When this elongation or reading decreases upon immersion in water, it suggests an upward force acting on the stone. 
  • This force, which opposes the stone’s weight and results in decreased tension on the string or spring balance, is termed the buoyant force or force of buoyancy.

Archimedes

Archimedes

  • Archimedes was a renowned Greek scientist who discovered the principle now named after him. 
  • This principle further aided him in verifying the purity of a gold crown meant for the king. 
  • Apart from this, Archimedes is acclaimed for his contributions to geometry and mechanics. 
  • His profound understanding of mechanisms like levers, pulleys, and wheels-and-axle notably benefited the Greek army during their confrontations with the Romans.

Need help preparing for UPSC or State PSCs?

Connect with our experts to get free counselling & start preparing

Download October 2024 Current Affairs.   Srijan 2025 Program (Prelims+Mains) !     Current Affairs Plus By Sumit Sir   UPSC Prelims2025 Test Series.    IDMP – Self Study Program 2025.

 

THE MOST
LEARNING PLATFORM

Learn From India's Best Faculty

      

Download October 2024 Current Affairs.   Srijan 2025 Program (Prelims+Mains) !     Current Affairs Plus By Sumit Sir   UPSC Prelims2025 Test Series.    IDMP – Self Study Program 2025.

 

Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

<div class="new-fform">







    </div>

    Subscribe our Newsletter
    Sign up now for our exclusive newsletter and be the first to know about our latest Initiatives, Quality Content, and much more.
    *Promise! We won't spam you.
    Yes! I want to Subscribe.