# 14.4 Archimedes’ principle and buoyancy

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By the end of this section, you will be able to:
• Define buoyant force
• State Archimedes’ principle
• Describe the relationship between density and Archimedes’ principle

When placed in a fluid, some objects float due to a buoyant force. Where does this buoyant force come from? Why is it that some things float and others do not? Do objects that sink get any support at all from the fluid? Is your body buoyed by the atmosphere, or are only helium balloons affected ( [link] )?

Answers to all these questions, and many others, are based on the fact that pressure increases with depth in a fluid. This means that the upward force on the bottom of an object in a fluid is greater than the downward force on top of the object. There is an upward force, or buoyant force    , on any object in any fluid ( [link] ). If the buoyant force is greater than the object’s weight, the object rises to the surface and floats. If the buoyant force is less than the object’s weight, the object sinks. If the buoyant force equals the object’s weight, the object can remain suspended at its present depth. The buoyant force is always present, whether the object floats, sinks, or is suspended in a fluid.

## Buoyant force

The buoyant force is the upward force on any object in any fluid.

## Archimedes’ principle

Just how large a force is buoyant force? To answer this question, think about what happens when a submerged object is removed from a fluid, as in [link] . If the object were not in the fluid, the space the object occupied would be filled by fluid having a weight ${w}_{\text{fl}}.$ This weight is supported by the surrounding fluid, so the buoyant force must equal ${w}_{\text{fl}},$ the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

## Archimedes’ principle

The buoyant force on an object equals the weight of the fluid it displaces. In equation form, Archimedes’ principle    is

${F}_{\text{B}}={w}_{\text{fl}},$

where ${F}_{\text{B}}$ is the buoyant force and ${w}_{\text{fl}}$ is the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

This principle is named after the Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes (ca. 287–212 BCE), who stated this principle long before concepts of force were well established.

what is the formula for pressure?
force/area
Kidus
force is newtom
Kidus
and area is meter squared
Kidus
so in SI units pressure is N/m^2
Kidus
In customary United States units pressure is lb/in^2. pound per square inch
Kidus
who is Newton?
scientist
Jeevan
a scientist
Peter
that discovered law of motion
Peter
ok
John
but who is Isaac newton?
John
a postmodernist would say that he did not discover them, he made them up and they're not actually a reality in itself, but a mere construct by which we decided to observe the word around us
elo
how?
Qhoshe
what is a scalar quantity
scalar: are quantity have numerical value
muslim
is that a better way in defining scalar quantity
Peter
thanks
muslim
quantity that has magnitude but no direction
Peter
upward force and downward force lift
upward force and downward force on lift
hi
Etini
hi
elo
hy
Xander
Hello
Jux_dob
hi
Peter
Helo
Tobi
what's the answer? I can't get it
what is the question again?
Sallieu
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imam
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imam
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send me vvi que
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whats a two dimensional force
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In means natural logarithm
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is dea graph for cancer caliper experiment using glass block?
Bako
why the ship created in search way?
Mershak