Pre Lab
This week's lab will explore buoyancy and Archimedes Principle. This principle states that the buoyant force acting on an object that is either fully or partially submerged in a fluid will equal the weight of the fluid that is displaced (see the Khan Academy video to the right). Thus buoyant force equals the density of the fluid times the volume of the fluid displaced times the acceleration due to gravity.
If submerging the object would displace a volume of fluid weighing more than the object, it will float. Floating objects will remain partially submerged, displacing only enough fluid to equal the weight of the object. You can see this in action in the simulation linked below.
In the lab this week we will apply this principle to 1) measure buoyant forces, 2) find the unknown density of an object, and 3) find the unknown density of a fluid. Prior to lab please complete the following:
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A few good videos about buoyancy.
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Pre Lab Video
Simulation
Explore the simulation embedded at the following link to explore factors regarding buoyancy.
Simulation: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/density-and-buoyancy/buoyancy_en.html
You may use the simulation to answer the pre lab quiz questions as well.
Pre-Lab Quiz is available at the course Blackboard website
Simulation: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/density-and-buoyancy/buoyancy_en.html
You may use the simulation to answer the pre lab quiz questions as well.
Pre-Lab Quiz is available at the course Blackboard website
Lab
This week you will be completing the Buoyancy lab found your lab manual.
We will be using the digital scales and lab computers to complete this lab.
We will be using the digital scales and lab computers to complete this lab.
Post Lab
Please post a reflection on the lab experience on the Buoyancy Lab Reflection discussion board on the course Blackboard site.
Be sure to include:
Be sure to include:
- What you did
- Why you did it
- Any interesting observations
- What you learned from doing the lab