4.35. Archimedes’ Law http://www.ck12.org
A: You would displace more water by stretching out your body, so there would be more buoyant force acting on it.
Therefore, you would be more likely to float in this position.
Summary
- Archimedes determined that an object displaces the same volume of fluid as its own volume.
- According to Archimedes’ law, the buoyant force acting on an object equals the weight of the fluid that the
object displaces. - The shape of an object may affect how much fluid it displaces and therefore the buoyant force acting on it.
This explains why one object may sink while another object with the same weight but a different shape may
float.
Vocabulary
- Archimedes’ law: Law stating that the buoyant force acting on an object equals the weight of the fluid
displaced by the object.
Explore More
Practice applying Archimedes’ law by doing the brainteaser at this URL:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lasalle/buoyquestion.html
Review
- What is Archimedes’ law?
- Fill in the missing word in the following sentence: An object will float in a fluid when the weight of the fluid
displaced by the object is ___ than the weight of the object. - Demonstrate how the shape of an object affects its ability to float using a container of water and two pieces of
aluminum foil that are the same size and therefore the same weight. (Hint: Form the two pieces of foil into
different shapes.)