Trusted since 2008
LoginRegister
Study resources on Kenyaplex

Get ready-made curriculum aligned revision materials

Exam papers, notes, holiday assignments and topical questions – all aligned to the Kenyan curriculum.

Browse exam papers
Or go directly to:
Class notes Holiday assignments Topical questions Other resources

Describe experiment to demonstrate the law of flotation

Describe experiment to demonstrate the law of flotation

Answers

Mutiso
Procedure:

1. Weigh the block in air and record its weight as W1.
2. Put water into the overflow can (eureka can) up to the level of the spout.
3. Collect displaced water in a beaker. Record the weight of the beaker first in air and record as W2. Weigh both the beaker and the displaced water and record as W3.
4. Record the same procedure with kerosene and record your results as shown below.
----------W1---W2---W3----W3-W2
Water
Kerosene
5. What do you notice between W1 and W3 – W2
flotation16102018.jpg
Discussion:
The weight of the displaced liquid is equal to the weight of the block in air. This is consistent with the law of flotation which states that “A body displaces its own weight of the liquid in
which it floats”. Mathematically, the following relation can be deduced Weight = volume × density × gravity = v × p × g, therefore W = vd × p × g where vd is the volume of displaced liquid.
NOTE – Flotation is a special case of Archimedes principle. This is because a floating body sinks until the upthrust equals the weight of the body.
Mutiso answered the question on October 16, 2018 at 06:43

Answer Attachments

Next: A block of metal of volume 60 cm3 weighs 4.80 N in air. Determine its weight when fully submerged in a liquid of density 1,200...

Previous: Determine whether rising or falling intonation is used in the sentences.

View more Physics Questions and Answers  |  Return to Questions Index

Exams With Marking Schemes

Related Questions