Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This demonstration allows you to see the presence of an upward force on the cylinder when it is lowered into water. The cylinder is hung from a string and the force sensor measures the size of that tension. As the object/cylinder is lowered into the water, the tension becomes smaller. The weight of the object didn't change, so if the tension is getting smaller, there must be some other upward force on the object. That force is known as the buoyant force. It is the net force the water is exerting on the cylinder when some of the cylinder is underwater. Another thing to notice is that the size of the tension is the same if the entire cylinder is underwater, regardless of the depth below the water. This shows that the buoyant force depends only on the volume of the object under the water, not the total depth once fully submersed.
This demonstration allows you to see the presence of an upward force on the cylinder when it is lowered into water. The cylinder is hung from a string and the force sensor measures the size of that tension. As the object/cylinder is lowered into the water, the tension becomes smaller. The weight of the object didn't change, so if the tension is getting smaller, there must be some other upward force on the object. That force is known as the buoyant force. It is the net force the water is exerting on the cylinder when some of the cylinder is underwater. Another thing to notice is that the size of the tension is the same if the entire cylinder is underwater, regardless of the depth below the water. This shows that the buoyant force depends only on the volume of the object under the water, not the total depth once fully submersed.
