Buoyancy 2009

 

Pressure versus depth, Plunge your hand into water while wearing a plastic glove to feel the pressure increase with depth. The increase of pressure with depth is what causes buoyancy.

Floating versus sinking, Study the floating and sinking of aluminum foil in water.

Eureka, Math RootThe buoyant force is the weight of the displaced water.

Consider the buoyancy of a constant volume airship. As it rises into the atmosphere the air becomes less dense, what happens to the buoyant force?

Consider the buoyancy of a submarine. It contains ballast tanks full of water. When the submarine pumps all the water out of its ballast tanks what happens to the buoyant force on the submarine? (Tricky watch out!)

A boat floats in a swimming pool, there is a bowling ball in the boat.

When a person in the boat throws the bowling ball out of the boat what happens to the level of water in the pool? What happens to the distance between the waterline and the gunwale of the boat?

Neutrally buoyant helium air bubbles

Bill Nye Buoyancy 1

Bill Nye buoyancy 2

Nova Buoyancy Brainteasers

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Scientific Explorations with Paul Doherty

© 2009

23 March 2009